South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Broncos bust loose
Haston, Maurice lead overpowering offense in regional rout of Eagles
WELLINGTON — Palm Beach Central senior quarterback Ahmad Haston accounted for six touchdowns and senior wide receiver Luby Maurice Jr. scored three times as the host Broncos pulled away in the second half for a 55-23 victory against Stoneman Douglas in a Class 4M regional semifinal Friday night.
Palm Beach Central (11-1) advanced to the Class 4M regional final and will host Monarch or Palm Beach Gardens on Friday.
Haston passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 43 yards and two scores.
Maurice recorded four catches for 121 yards and three scores. Senior wide receiver Javorian Wimberly had six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Senior running back Tyler Young stepped up in the backfield with 167 rushing yards.
Palm Beach Central rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter and held a 20-17 advantage at halftime. The Broncos offense exploded with 21 points in the third quarter to extend the lead to 41-17.
“We have a great coaching staff,” Palm Beach Central coach Kevin Thompson said. “I am super proud of the adjustments that they make. They were scrappy and doing everything they needed to stay in the game and we made the adjustments.”
Haston credited all of his teammates on the offensive and defensive lines to help set the tone in the victory.
“They say defense wins championships, and the defense stepped up and had our back, so I just appreciate them for that,” Haston said. “The offensive line is the engine that makes it possible for us, and they did a great job.
“We were a very young team mentally last year. We have that experience under our belt and that can push us really far.”
Douglas senior Justin Spano had a
77-yard kickoff return to the Broncos
13-yard line on the first play of the contest. The Eagles settled for a 33-yard field goal.
The Eagles defense stepped up and recovered a fumble at midfield on the Broncos’ opening drive.
The Eagles (8-4) were unable to capitalize after the turnover and were stopped short on a fourth-down run outside the Broncos 30.
The Broncos offense lost another fumble at midfield on the ensuing drive.
Douglas senior running back Clayton Cannon Jr. rushed for a 26-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 10-0 with 2 minutes, 17 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Eagles attempted a surprise onside kick on the next play, but the Broncos were able to gain possession, and their offense responded as Haston connected with Maurice in the left corner of the end zone for an 8-yard score with 19 seconds left in the first. Sophomore Tony Williams then recorded an interception for the Broncos on the first play of the second quarter.
The Broncos offense had a quick strike on the first play after the turnover as Haston fired a 69-yard scoring pass to Maurice.
“As a leader and as a senior, i have to a bring the juice and we just had to come out and execute,” Maurice said. “It’s real exciting. We plan on doing bigger and better things.”
Sophomore kicker Ethan Dagostino converted 40-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-10.
The Broncos were able to quickly head back on offense after a successful onside kick. Dagostino connected on a 28-yard field goal to make it 20-10.
Douglas answered back as junior quarterback Ryan Spallina fired a 36-yard touchdown pass to Clayton Cannon II to cut the deficit to 20-17 with 49 seconds left in the first half.
Haston had a 13-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the second half to increase the lead to 27-17.
Haston connected with Wimberly for an 18-yard score on the next drive to push the lead to 34-17.
Senior Nicholas Toussaint recovered a fumble for the Broncos later in the third quarter. On the next series Haston connected with sophomore wide receiver Nedrick Boldin for a 15-yard score.
Haston rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 48-17.
After the Broncos recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, sophomore quarterback Sean Siska fired a 28-yard scoring pass to Maurice.
Spallina tossed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Cannon late in the fourth for the Eagles. Cannon rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Stoneman Douglas, the No. 5 seed, had a 48-44 victory against Santaluces in the regional quarterfinal.
“We were able to get a couple turnovers and jumped ahead early,” Stoneman Douglas coach Quentin Short said. “They just took over in the second half and we did not have an answer for them.
“They’re a heck of a football team with a ton of athletes. Our kids battled. It was a heck of a season.”
Palm Beach Central, the No. 1 seed, is looking to take the next step after a regional final loss last year.
“We are excited for the win, but we have done this before,” Thompson said. “The goal right now is to do something the school has never done before and to bring a regional title to this school.”