Boca Raton drills Douglas 21-0 to prepare for opener
PARKLAND — Boca Raton sophomore quarterback Michael Pratt took a monster hit in the first half of the Bobcats’ 21-0 Kickoff Classic win over host Douglas.
Pratt was buried for an 8-yard loss by Mason Hall on a blitz. He was hit so hard his helmet came flying off and sent Pratt to the sideline for one play. He came right back in and finished the drive with a 23-yard scoring toss to senior Dante Lang with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
“It was OK,” Pratt said. “My sister hits harder than that. His sister is Hannah Pratt, a star basketball player for the Bobcats who is committed to Columbia. She was also a starter on the school’s flag football team the first two years.
“This was pretty exciting,” said Pratt, who finished with 220 yards passing and another 56 yards on the ground. “I just have to come here every day and do the same thing.”
The Bobcats extended the lead to 14-0 on a 28-yard interception return for a score by Willie Thurman with 10:08 remaining in the third quarter. Boca Raton iced the game on a 12-yard scoring run by Antonio Gonzalez with 3:57 left in the third quarter.
Boca Raton coach Eric Davis said his team lost 20 seniors to graduation from last year’s team. He said they had a lot of new faces and it was Pratt’s second start of his varsity career. He also started the spring game, a victory over Nova.
“We have a lot to clean up and Michael took what could have been a devastating hit,” Davis said. “I would give us a C-plus. I am optimistic. We are young and a win is a win. As long as they have the scoreboard running it counts. I am excited that they realize if they play together, they have some opportunities.”
“On the skill side we are where we should be,” Davis said. “On the line side, we have a lot of kids that were injured and on vacation during the summer.”
Douglas coach Willis May said his team lost 30 seniors to graduation last year and two of his top offensive players — junior offensive lineman Patrick Scullen and senior wide out Tai Lehito — are out for the next few weeks due to recent surgeries. Scullen is expected back in three weeks, while Lehito, the third leading receiver in Broward will miss half the season.
“You have to be able to put your best out there and be able to get your best out of them,” May said. “We have some kids with some skill and we have some guys with ability, they just don’t have a lot of experience.”