Monarch’s revenge vs. Palm Beach County
COCONUT CREEK — The road to state has ended for Palm Beach County football teams, but there still are area athletes who remain on the trek to Tallahassee.
Monarch linebacker Gabriel Birnbaum let out a sigh of relief after the Knights' 35-13 defeat of Palm Beach Central.
If he'd stayed at former team Boca Raton, his season would've come to an end at the hands of the Broncos last Friday.
Now, Birnbaum is the furthest he's ever gone in his high school career, the victor of a historic region championship alongside Monarch.
"Except when I was a ball boy," Birnbaum laughed.
"To be a true Monarch Knight, an alum, from being part of the first district championship to being part of the first region championship is a magnificent feeling," said assistant coach Roberto Montanez.
Monarch gets revenge on Palm Beach County teams
"We came out here, played a great game, dominated on every side of the ball, and that's what we wanted," Montanez said.
Monarch's season was stunted last November in a 35-28 region semifinal defeat by a Palm Beach County team, the Gators of Palm Beach Gardens. The Knights never forgot the feeling, remembering seeing Central in the Class 4M final four as they watched from home.
That's a huge reason they're 11-2 in 2023.
"We thought we should've been there," Montanez said. "Last year, we lost in overtime."
Last Thanksgiving, Montanez and Monarch head coach Calvin Davis "were hurt."
"Since, we've spent every single day for every single hour, every single minute talking about it and coming out here to do it again and this time do what we were supposed to do," Montanez said.
Monarch defensive line coach Jared De Freitas knew the Knights had to limit running backs Leon Williams, a senior, and Ze'Quan Wright, a junior. The Broncos had accounted for 1,126 rushing yards this season, averaging 102.2 yards per game.
"They have a little wing special that they come out in, and we knew our main focus was stopping the run. It's a very great team for Palm Beach Central," De Freitas said, remembering the last time he saw a senior-led pack of Broncos as an assistant coach at Boca Raton last fall. Central defeated the Bobcats 34-14 before this year's 37-21 victory and most recent 34-28 win to make it to a region final appearance.
"Last year we played them, and it was different this game, so this year, our focus was to get pressure, beat our blocks, and cause mayhem in the backfield," De Freitas said. He and Birnbaum were together for those losses last season and any that came before that.
"Four years we're going along for the ride and I mean, I believe in coach Davis. I bought in just like every kid on this team and I think that shows every week."
"They might score. We might make a mistake. I might make a mistake, but we can bounce back and be smart about it because what we have on this team is resilience. Every kid on this team, from special teams to offense," Birnbaum said.
How it happened
Palm Beach Central had made lastminute miracles happen this season. Namely a 28-point fourth quarter to upset Benjamin.
A fumble recovery by junior Damon Allen could've been the formula for that to happen against the Knights if only Central had more time.
The Broncos made the most of the six minutes on the clock that remained though.
Forty-eight minutes and a host of personal foul penalties later, Central was forced to hand possession over to quarterback A.J. Hairston and the Knights for the win-sealing kneel.
"He does everything on the football field, off the football field — he always takes care of kids getting rides home,"
Montanez said. "He's a true leader and he's truly what it means to be a Monarch Knight."
After a hurdling touchdown by Williams for the Broncos' first score of the evening, Hairston delivered a backbreaker to Central just before halftime, shifting the scoreboard from 13-7 to 21-7 with a rushing touchdown and two-point conversion.
Supported by rushing touchdowns from junior Antonio Ward and senior Malik Kesley and captained by Birnbaum, Monarch's defense held Central scoreless until just 3:17 was left till the horn. The drought came to a close with a touchdown connection between Central sophomore quarterback and four-star junior receiver Kamare Williams.
"Gabriel's been an impact player for the team," De Freitas said. "He came in as a captain, voted unanimously by the coaching staff, so he came in taking the leadership role to heart and has done everything that's been expected of him.
The fruits of Birnbaum's labor included more than just a couple of trophies. Add on an offer from Florida Atlantic football.
"It's a credit to Gabriel and his performance and development over the years and the staff as well as far as getting his film out," De Freitas said. "All credit goes to coach Davis and coach Montanez for helping the kids get into schools. That was one of the biggest deciding factors for me to join the staff was to help the kids and make sure they get to colleges and universities to fulfill their goals."
Why are local players leaving county lines?
Birnbaum always knew that his freshman and sophomore years were going to be focused on development, learning from stud upperclassmen and taking opportunities as they came.
"I knew my junior year was going to be a 'prove myself ' year, kind of show what I can do and what I've learned," Birnbaum said. "Then when I decided to come here, I knew it was going to be harder football to play, so I just thought if I came in and was solid, worked hard, and learned the playbook that I could be successful."
Birnbaum was right. His junior campaign with Boca earned first-team honors from The Palm Beach Post. He built onto that 62-tackle, 16-sack season at Monarch, where he's tallied 74 tackles — 51 for loss — and a team-high 21.5 sacks.
The difference was that in Broward County, coaches at the next level took notice. Birnbaum thinks that's a large reason Palm Beachers are seeking greener pastures down south.
"There's a lot more recruiting down in these areas," Birnbaum said. "Palm Beach guys, I'm not gonna say are overlooked, but there's not as much talent when it comes to all three phases of the game, right?"
"Not to say there's no Palm Beach teams that are great, but there are more talent and more looks on these teams just because of the names we have, which helped me get recruited and helped my brothers get recruited around me."