Big plays carry Wellington again
Richards’ 92-yarder, Celestin’s two TDs power Wolverines
WELLINGTON – Wellington senior running back Mark-Antony Richards had a 92-yard run for a score and Balitan Celestin scored two touchdowns as the host Wolverines held off Palm Beach Gardens 24-13 in a District 9-8A contest on Thursday.
The Wolverines (5-3) are in second place in District 9-8A behind Palm Beach Central after picking up their third district win.
“Our coaches prepared us for this game and we just took over,” Richards said. “It’s just about how hard we work.”
The Wolverines led 14-13 at halftime and pulled away late in the fourth quarter with keys plays to control the clock and field position.
Austin Wallace scrambled and raced for a first down on fourth-and-6 to the Gators’ 30-yard line.
On fourth-and-8, Richards took the direct snap and ran for a first down at the marker to extend the drive.
Wallace took a sack later in the drive on third down, but the Wolverines pinned the Gators (4-4) back at the 1-yard line after a punt with 3:58 left.
After forcing a punt, the Wolverines capitalized with the short field as Morgan Suarez connected on a 40-yard field goal to make it 17-13 with 2:02 left.
Antonio Outler fumbled on the ensuing possession and the Wolverines sealed the win as Blake Kendall fired a 21-yard pass to Celestin for a touchdown with 1:18 left.
The Gators were poised to take an early lead in the first quarter after a 63-yard punt return resulted in a first-and-goal at the Wolverines’ 7, but they failed to capitalize after losing a fumble two plays later.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Richards bounced to the outside as he scampered down the left sideline for a 92-yard touchdown give the Wolverines a 7-0 advantage.
The Wolverines struck again as Wallace connected on a deep pass to Celestin over the middle of the field and he broke a tackle and turned upfield for a 64-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.