South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Titans’ run game too much for Broncos
WELLINGTON — Through 10 games, no team had found an answer for Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast’s wing-T offense.
The Titans entered Friday averaging 43 points per game and scored at least 26 points in each contest, but Palm Beach Central hoped to be the first team to figure out Treasure Coast’s rushing attack.
Hopes would not be enough.
The Titans dominated the Broncos, winning 34-0 without completing a single pass against the Broncos in the Class 8A regional finals in Wellington.
“It’s a monster, man,” Palm Beach Central coach Scottie Littles said. “They do a good job with it. They’re big. They’re physical. We couldn’t match them on the line of scrimmage.”
Treasure Coast’s first touchdown came on an explosive play, as running back Eden James, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, broke off a 63-yard score.
James would score two more touchdowns in the win and finish the game with 215 rushing yards on 27 carries.
“I think it’s a little it of everything [that makes James successful],” Treasure Coast coach Irvin Jones said. “Vision, speed, quickness, strength. Sprinkle a little bit of classroom academics in, and that helps him out. He’s just, all-around, a great kid.”
The Titans attempted two passes in the game. One was intercepted by Justin Bostic, the other fell to the ground incomplete. But Treasure Coast got all the offense it needed on the ground. The Titans finished the game with 336 yards of offense.
“It’s tough,” Littles said. “They control the ball and they pound it.”
Treasure Coast also benefited from good field position throughout the game. Five of its nine drives started inside Palm Beach Central territory. While the Titans were successfully running the offense that dominated opponents all year, the Broncos were struggling.
Despite entering the game averaging about 39 points per game, Palm Beach Central could not get into an offensive rhythm. The Broncos finished the game with 162 yards of offense. The biggest play was a 53-yard pass to end the first half that would not have counted had Treasure Coast accepted a penalty. Palm Beach Central had only six first downs in the game.
“I just think our kids, defensively, came to play today,” Jones said. “We had all 11 headed in the right direction.”
Palm Beach Central ends the year 10-1, but Littles thinks the program’s future looks good. The team will return star quarterback Ahmad Haston as well as standouts such as Luby Maurice Jr., Javorian Wimberley and Bostic.
“Just came up short in the regional final, and we’ll go back to the drawing board,” Littles said. “We return a lot of players. I don’t want to take this time to sit here and sulk on it. We had a lot of good things that happened.”