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In the final regular season game of the year, the West Boca Bulls defeated the rival Olympic Heights Lions 40-0 under the Friday Night Lights.
With the win on senior night, the Bulls have officially clinched a spot in the FHSAA Playoffs for the first time since 2013.
“It’s a credit to the kids,” West Boca head coach Dylan Potts said. “It’s a long journey to get to this point right here, you know stringing together an 8-2 season like that.”
Recap
The Bulls received a balanced attack from the entire team to blow by the Lions on a windy night in Boca Raton.
West Boca’s running backs all got on the score sheet. Four-star running back Javian Mallory and freshmen Jayden Lockhart and Jacorrion McCrary all scored a touchdown. As a team, the Bulls finished with 167 rushing yards on just 14 carries (11.9 yards per carry).
“All of the young running backs came in and kind of really did their thing tonight,” Coach Potts said when talking about his young running back room. “It was a running back by committee effort.”
West Boca has one of the youngest but best running back rooms in all of South Florida.
I interview the three studs: Javian Mallory, Jayden Lockhart, and Jacorrion McCrary.
What do people have to know? @Mallory_javian3 isn’t the only running threat for the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/NDisrGHmpd
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) November 4, 2023
Junior wide receiver Branden Hoch scored two touchdowns, including a 50-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. Hoch finished with three catches for 86 yards.
Play of the night: Mason Mallory (@mallory_mason7) found Branden Hoch (@HochBranden) for a 50 yard touchdown. Branden’s size wreaks havoc for opposing defenses. pic.twitter.com/k1uQIIlijF
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) November 4, 2023
“Branden came out early and played really well,” Coach Potts stated. “He got the pass game going.”
Four other West Boca receivers recorded over 20 yards, including Zacharius Walls (three catches for 69 yards), Javian Mallory (one catch for 26 yards), Caleb Ayala (one catch for 20 yards and a touchdown), and Kyle Andrews (two catches for 45 yards).
Starting quarterback Mason Mallory completed 10-of-15 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“My quarterback threw some good passes again,” Branden Hoch said postgame. “The offensive line blocked really good. I just made plays when the ball was thrown to me.”
The Bulls defense did their jobs, too, allowing zero points for the fifth time this season.
Cornerback Elijah Gonzales recorded his first interception of the year, West Boca’s only turnover of the game. Olympic Heights had a very conservative offensive attack, preventing the Bulls defense from making flashy plays while recovering turnovers.
Olympic Heights utilized a Wing-T offense throughout the game; it was not successful at all. The Lions’ strategy throughout the game was to waste as much time as possible so West Boca couldn’t blow them out. It didn’t work whatsoever as the Bulls won by 40 points. It did show some signs of life in the first half, however, as the Bulls only led 19-0 at halftime.
“Olympic Heights came out and played hard tonight,” Coach Potts said postgame. “They kept it closer in the first half and they were able to put together some drives on offense and we weren’t able to finish some drives offensively. Credit to them, but at the end of the day, our kids pulled together. We relied on the running game to kind of get things going. We look forward to seeing who we play in the first round (of the playoffs).”
By the Numbers
- West Boca is now 12-4 all-time against Olympic Heights.
- For the first time since 2010 (8-5), the Bulls have recorded eight wins in a season.
- The two losses on the season for West Boca are their least since 2006 (9-2).
- West Boca has scored 388 points this season, a new school record for most points in a single season. The previous record was 370 in 2006.
- West Boca has allowed just 69 points this season, a new school record for the least amount of points allowed in a single season. The previous record was 138 in 2006.
What is at Stake?
The Bulls have a chance to win their first-ever playoff game next week against either Atlantic or Coconut Creek. It depends where the FHSAA seeds West Boca. The Bulls will likely be a six or seven seed.
