BOCA RATON – It took everything imaginable for the West Boca Raton Bulls to reach a historical milestone on the night of Dec. 6.
The final play of their Class 6A state semifinal against the Miami Southridge Spartans was a game-saver for the ages, as senior Jordyan Walter cross crossed his way downfield to find a Southridge defender near the end zone. His knockdown of the ball with just three seconds left in West Boca Raton’s 14-11 win over Southridge.
The play in question was supposed to be a simple run by Bulls sophomore quarterback Trey Moran to seal the deal. It turned into him losing a fumble and the Southridge defender recovering the ball for a spirited run all the way to the goal line.
Watch the entire play right below.
“I had one thing on my mind; “I’m going to Miami next week,”” Walters said. “So seeing the fumble fueled me to make the play and seal the deal.”
With the three-point margin of victory, the Bulls (14-0) will play in the Class 6A state title game at Pitbull Stadium in Miami (Friday, Dec. 13; 12:30 p.m. kickoff). They are the first Palm Beach County high school football team since 2018 (King’s Academy Lions; Class 3A) to reach this stage.
“The kids just played hard to the very last whistle,” West Boca Raton head coach Dylan Potts said after the game. “I’m just happy for our kids, our school, our community, and everything like that for a chance to compete for a state championship next Friday.”
You can view our entire interview with Potts right below.
This was a classic defensive game between two elite teams. Only two combined scores by both offense took place in the state semifinal, and both of them happened in the second half.
But before we get to that, we can say that Southridge opened the game up with a 3-0 lead over West Boca Raton. The first possession ended with senior kicker Marcus Rosado connecting on a 39-yard field goal to set the tone early.
Then later in the first frame, Southridge was trying to extend its lead to double digits. But the road team came up short by three yards, as Southridge lost a fumble in an attempt to score with West Boca Raton senior athlete Marc-Sanchtz Lordeus, who scooped up the ball and ran almost untouched for a 97-yard score.
At the 3:09 mark of the first quarter, sophomore kicker John Farfan connected on an extra point to give West Boca Raton a 7-3 lead.
Then in the second quarter, senior linebacker Aaron Ford Jr. caught an interception and took it to the house for a score. At the 2:39 mark, West Boca was set to extend the lead. However, the play was ruled as just an interception as a penalty occurred at the 50-yard line.
The score was wiped off the road, and the 7-3 West Boca Raton held serve all the way to halftime.
But midway through the third quarter, Moran led a spirited offensive drive down the field for 55 yards. It ended with his 1-yard touchdown run on a third play with 6:14 left.
An extra point by sophomore kicker John Farfan extended West Boca Raton’s lead to 14-3 over Southridge (11-3 final record).
While West Boca Raton’s offense did not score again the rest of the way, it was the defense that was put to the ultimate test by Southridge.
Spartans sophomore quarterback James Perrone showed lots of grit and poise at points in this one. His best moment came in the fourth quarter, when he was able to connect with senior athlete Darius Clements on a fourth-down pass that turned into a game-breaking score.
At the 5:05 mark, Southridge found itself back in the game with the Perrone touchdown pass. Down 14-9, Southridge elected to go for a two-point conversion. It worked out as Perrone found senior wide receiver James Gatewood Jr. in the end zone to cut West Boca Raton’s lead to 14-11.
From that point on, both defenses stood tall, all the way until close to the final buzzer.
SIDE NOTE: West Boca Raton will be facing off an against Kissimmee Osceola (12-2) in the 6A state title game. It will try to become the first Palm Beach County team to legitimately win a state title since 2013, when Dwyer became the area’s first and only 15-0 team and finished as a consensus Top 10 team in the nation.
VIDEO CREDITS: East Coast Exposure (Shane Robinson), ESPN West Palm, and 561 Showcase
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