Tigers’ offense shows midseason form
JUPITER — Thursday’s Kickoff Classic may have been on a steamy night in August, but Boynton Beach came out of the gate in crisp, midseason form, defeating Jupiter 34-14.
“We did some good things, offensively,” Boynton Beach coach Errick Lowe said.
That offense, which didn’t return a starter from last year’s 9-3 squad, showed no rust early.
Junior quarterback Jacob Mulloly started the game and impressed, throwing a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came in unconventional form, with a Mulloly pass deflecting off a Warriors defender and into the hands of receiver Antoine Jerome, who took the ball 45 yards to the end zone.
But that was not the oddest touchdown of the night. In the second quar- ter, junior quarterback Curtis Williams scrambled for more than 10 yards before fumbling. Zebedee Lindsey recovered the ball, but instead of diving on it, he picked it up and rushed another 65 yards for the Tigers’ fourth score of the night.
“The ball bounced our way,” Lowe said, laughing.
Mulloly led the offense for most of the night, scoring three times. After throwing a pair of touchdowns in the first half, he ran for an 11-yard score in the third score that put the Tigers ahead.
“He took control of the offense,” Lowe said.
In head coach Bill Powers’ first game as Jupiter’s head coach, the Warriors’ offense struggled to put points on the board throughout the first half. Although they advanced the ball into Boynton territory multiple times, quarterback Alex Piccirilli, who suffered a broken throwing hand in the offseason, could not get the ball into the end zone.
Wyatt Walther, coming off a broken collarbone, got the Warriors on the board on a 3-yard quarterback sneak with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter. He added a second touchdown with 7:03 left in the game, cutting Boynton Beach’s lead to 20, but it was much too little and too late for Jupiter.
“I’m smart enough to realize you can’t change things overnight, but we have high expectations,” Powers said before the game.
Despite the strong showing, Boynton Beach still has plenty to work on. The Tigers racked up 13 penalties for 125 yards and turned the ball over on fumbles twice.