Story
Royal Palm Beach 15, Palm Beach Central 6: Defense lifts Wildcats
Friday, September 21, 2012
by
Matt Porter
Senior cornerback De'Andre Simmons made a game-saving play on a rainy, muddy evening, preserving Royal Palm Beach's 15-6 win over Palm Beach Central on Friday night.
Down nine points and needing a score with less than five minutes left, dynamic Palm Beach Central senior Lloyd Howard took a swing pass and broke away from the defense for 57 yards. Simmons caught him and knocked out the ball at the 13, recovering the fumble with 4:15 left in the game.
"I thought he was going to score, to be honest," Simmons said. "I just kept trying to get him."
"Phenomenal play, wasn't it?" Royal Palm Beach coach Willie Bueno said. "He's a big-time player. We always talk about finishing. You never know."
Junior Jimmy Moreland (six carries, 85 yards, two touchdowns) scored the Wildcats' touchdowns. He also intercepted Palm Beach Central senior quarterback Kyle Shafer with 1:20 remaining to seal the win.
On a night they lost five fumbles and recovered all of them, Royal Palm (1-1) seemed to tempt fate often. With 3:27 left in the first quarter, the Wildcats faked a punt on fourth-and-9 at their own 27.
Senior Jake Wehrle took the snap and rushed ahead 23 yards. On the next play, Moreland took another direct snap and rumbled 50 yards for a touchdown, then added a two-point rush.
Midway through the third, Moreland took a direct snap on fourth and 4 at Central's 34 and got 33 yards. He punched in a 1-yard touchdown on the next play, at 7:03 of the quarter.
"Our defense was playing well. I don't think anyone was going to throw the ball tonight," Bueno said. "We figured we could stop the run, so we'd take some chances."
Palm Beach Central (1-2) wasn't as lucky.
The Broncos lost two fumbles and recovered one. In the fourth, Central senior Tommy McDonald's 3-yard plunge cut the lead to 15-6. But a bad snap led to a missed extra point, leaving a two-score deficit.
"They had to play in the same conditions we did," Palm Beach Central coach Rod Harris said.
Harris was disappointed with the loss but said he likes his team's improvements on defense (203 rushing yards, 30 passing) and in the passing game. Senior Kyle Shafer completed 6 of 11 passes for 136 yards
"I feel better about our team now than I did two weeks ago," Harris said. "Gardens and Royal Palm were tough teams, and we were one play away from both."
Players slipped all over the turf, stunting several possible long gains. Early in the third quarter, Royal Palm senior JoJo Williams caught a 16-yard pass and went down face-first in a puddle of mud.
Players laughed as a coach helped him clean out his helmet.
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User Comments:
Shocker... commented on September 21, 2012 at 11:11 p.m.: report abuse
What a surprise, palm beach central is the talk of the preseason once again and are now 1-2. What happened to that unstoppable offense? 2 td's in 2 games? This is what happens year after year, central cant win the games that matter.
Broncos Mom commented on September 21, 2012 at 11:13 p.m.: report abuse
Why don't our boys ever get cookies after the game, they work so hard all week and bust their butts on Friday but Coach Harris won't let them have cookies after the game. What a discrace.
Scout commented on September 21, 2012 at 11:50 p.m.: report abuse
Keenan Duggan is the next big thing, central is lucky to snag him from Royal Palm . Central will be alright, and they have good upcoming players, Harris just has to put it together
good job rpb commented on September 22, 2012 at 12:25 a.m.: report abuse
Jimmy Moreland is a really good athlete on both size of the ball this kid is seriously a d1 prospect.Hope nothing for the best for him hopefully his hight wont hurt him in the long run.
What's up commented on September 22, 2012 at 1:02 a.m.: report abuse
PBC continues to run the same pass play even when it doesn't work.what up with dat? Do you want to win?
New Team Same Results commented on September 22, 2012 at 1:27 a.m.: report abuse
#6 team... Maybe a top 15 but thats about it. Another .500 season. Well done
Ratio commented on September 22, 2012 at 7:36 a.m.: report abuse
Most Talent to Losses ratio in the country. This is unreal, this team has more talent then 90% of the teams in the county (which says alot) and they still can't manage to win. Come on coaches!!!
Ball Coach @ Scout commented on September 22, 2012 at 7:47 a.m.: report abuse
I must agree Keenan is the real deal, by the time he reach his senior year he may be pbc top prospect. As long as he keep his focus,the kid is the truth. Big ups to Jimmy Moreland
Same central commented on September 22, 2012 at 8:07 a.m.: report abuse
Time for PBC to get a new quarter back and maybe not run the same 3 vanilla plays every time
PB Fottball Fan commented on September 22, 2012 at 8:15 a.m.: report abuse
Welcome to the Cassandra curse.....it will only get worse.
Come on Man! commented on September 22, 2012 at 8:17 a.m.: report abuse
12 points in 2 games??
STOP with this Ray Wilson on defense madness! The kid can break one off at any time and NOT fumble. Bad coaching decision with this one. Ray Wilson is a top flight running back who's talent is being wasted on defense while the offense is averaging 6pts a game in the last two. It is incredible to watch. They need to draw up an offense with both Ray and Bam in the backfield.
Hate to say it but another season is done already. There is something wrong with that program.
BEAT DOWN commented on September 22, 2012 at 10:43 a.m.: report abuse
Let me tell you folks that it all started in 20006 when PBC had "BLACK FRIDAY' at homecoming weekend and the whole stands for PBC was in black and the PBC team came out all dressed in black. Da Boyz from RPB like Prendergrass,Brown,LaLonde,Addie, The Dangerfield boys etc. opened up and put on a show in front of Bronco fans in mass. PBC HAS NEVER RECOVERED!!!!!
ashamed commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:07 a.m.: report abuse
Agree with Come on Man!. another example of a dumb coach overthinking it. # 6 will carry you Harris. Rely on him. he should not be used "in case of emergency". Dumb. dumb. dumb. Other backs are good but Ray Wilson is a special football player. I would hate to see Coach at the casino. He pizzles everything away.
Ball so hard commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:08 a.m.: report abuse
Yea man, keenan is the truth , heard he might go back to royal palm next year
Thats whats up commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:30 a.m.: report abuse
Awesome game lastnight WILDCATS! Royal Palm offensive line is awesome in my opinion. Aaron Brown is an LT Tackle and a must watch this season......
Welly commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:40 a.m.: report abuse
Must be Louvier's fault.
Bronco commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:43 a.m.: report abuse
@beatdown
PBC never recovered? Wasnt it like 40-6 2 years ago?
at bronco commented on September 22, 2012 at 11:58 a.m.: report abuse
That was 2 years ago buddy, and im pretty sure that was the ONLY time they have beaten RPB even with "STAR" WR, Angelo they still couldnt get it done last year when they came to central's house and wooped them, same as lastnight RPB wooped them again, RPB is just too much for central hahaha.
@ at bronco commented on September 22, 2012 at 12:19 p.m.: report abuse
Just sayin, look up the definition of "never"
@PBC AND RPB commented on September 22, 2012 at 1:19 p.m.: report abuse
PBC you might not make playoff's, big, slow, weak o-line, JIL and PV most likely.
RPB, you can't score, but other than Dwyer, district is weak, hence, one-and-done.
Kudo's Come on man!!! commented on September 22, 2012 at 2:39 p.m.: report abuse
Come on man hits one of the nails on the head. This is NOT a knock on Bam. First thing is, I wonder is if they are trying to teach Bam how to better protect the ball. He's young, he's good, he's fumbling and I dont think there is anyone on that staff that has the football smarts to help him.
Bam was suspended for most of the season last year, who carried the ground game for their "record breaking offensive season" #6 Ray Wilson.
So coach what plans do you have this year for your running back that lead the team last year in rushing? I guess its a good idea to play him on defense this year. HELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOO. If Harris took the credit for last years success after he canned OC, he must take a huge hit for this decision that makes NO SENCE at all. Get them both on the field at the same time force the D to worry about both of them at once. This H.S. football most teams will not be able to it. Both players are great athletes. Defenses are just keying on Bam. Does not take a genius to see this. I just sit in the stands and scratch my head.
observer commented on September 22, 2012 at 4:33 p.m.: report abuse
From what i saw It really doesn't matter who the RB is. I was in the stands on the PBC side to see for myself what all the hype is about. They are so predictable it's almost a joke. They run the same plays out of formations and have changed nothing week to week, (according to the Dad i was sitting next to). I would guess that Harris is relying on his OC from the WCFL to call the plays because they are running a youth league offense. RPB knew the plays before the snap, you could see them adjust once central lined up and call the play. Yeah they broke a long play that resulted in a fumble but it only worked because of a missed tackle at the point of the reception.
It's a shame for the kids because they really do have a ton of talent just weak in the coaching department.
Welly commented on September 22, 2012 at 4:57 p.m.: report abuse
Observer, the coaching at PBC has been a running joke for awhile now.But, they have fun at Flanigan's.
Curious commented on September 22, 2012 at 6:41 p.m.: report abuse
Why is Brad Stein not mentioned in any of these comments? Is he not playing? Injured?
I didn't hear squeeky George from the sidelines.
@welly commented on September 22, 2012 at 10:28 p.m.: report abuse
keep talking.. we'll see whats gonna happen next friday PBC vs Wellington
@thats whats up commented on September 23, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.: report abuse
"Royal Palm offensive line is awesome in my opinion." ha ha ha ha. You MUST be a Oline coach if you had the balls to type that one! ha ha ha ha.
Relax people commented on September 23, 2012 at 8:20 a.m.: report abuse
Never ending blog saga. PBC lost cuz they turned the ball over 3 times in a downpour. Another tough game they lost to a good team. Nobody likes losing and things always turn bad for every program when it happens but the team will regroup. I found it heart warming that Coach Harris was the first to give Bam a hug after the fumble. People that is a caring coach.
Ray Wilson has been hurt recently. I even heard the coaches suspended players for lack of discipline which is a great way to teach kids respect.
The Stein kid was lost for the season, unfortunately. Im sure they will make the necessary adjustments to turn things around.
Lets go Broncos!!
Lets go Broncos commented on September 23, 2012 at 9:57 a.m.: report abuse
Does anybody realize the weather might have changed the game plan for PBC? Just look at the pictures on PB Post. It was a run dominated game from the beginning by both teams.
Keep your heads up Broncos, brighter days are ahead.
Relax as well commented on September 23, 2012 at 10:26 a.m.: report abuse
Saw RPB running the same plays over and over.In those conditions your game plan changes and becomes limited.Its ovious its just a bashing session on PBC and the Coach.Game could have gone either way.Season far from over for the critics who sit behind a key pad.
FOOTBALL GODS commented on September 23, 2012 at 10:59 a.m.: report abuse
THE WEATHER DICTATED THE GAME PLAN !!! TURNOVERS DICTATED THE SCORING DRIVES!! CLOSE GAME !! THE BALL BOUNCED TO RPB.DUH, DAH, IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT,DON'T BLOG.
..... commented on September 23, 2012 at 12:55 p.m.: report abuse
Always funny that RPB runs the same plays and the coaches are amazing. PBC runs the same plays and they cant coach. Obviously a blogging Vendetta verse the coaches starting with Harris. People should get another hobby. Bashing high school coaches is nonsense.
Best O-Line in the county? commented on September 23, 2012 at 2:43 p.m.: report abuse
4th and 1 inside the RPB 30 and they can't get a first down with the "best o-line in the county"? The right tackle is a full snap count slow off the ball and was exposed by speed rushing him all night.
Maine West commented on September 23, 2012 at 10:30 p.m.: report abuse
Congrats on the win RPB!!! That was a great game .......I must say. Palm Beach Central is a good team. Stop bashing the Central team and coaching the game was close at the end. Keep your head up Palm Beach Central the season is still young. Palm Beach Central is a great team good luck with the playoff!!! The Real Maine West.
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