Atlantic football turns to St. Thomas Aquinas after playoff win over Plantation
DELRAY BEACH — The Atlantic Eagles took care of home field and beat the Plantation Colonels 34-12 on Monday night in the first round of the Class 3M playoffs.
With the win, the Eagles will now take on St. Thomas Aquinas, who is 10-0 on the season and blew out Coconut Creek by 45 points in the first round.
It was a tight game throughout the contest, but Atlantic pulled away in the back half of the fourth quarter to close it out.
Recent: Palm Beach Gardens routs Wellington in high school football playoffs
More Coverage: Boynton Beach football reacts to historic home playoff win
More Playoffs: Stoneman Douglas football eliminates Santaluces for first playoff win since 2008
Here are three takeaways from Atlantic’s win:
1. Atlantic’s strong QB to WR connection
Heading into the game, Eagles quarterback Lincoln Graf had thrown for 2,210 yards, 24 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He’s been impressive and it was no different tonight, especially with the strong connection to wide receiver Kamare Williams.
In the drives where the offense needed a spark or a score to regain the lead, Graf put it in the hands of Williams to make a play.
Atlantic head coach Jamael Stewart said that he wanted to see Grof target Williams and was impressed with the results.
“One thing I told Lincoln is just to trust Kamare [Williams], just put the ball where he can make a play, if it's one on one, he's gonna come out on top,” Stewart said. “Just told him to throw the ball up and don't worry about it. Give him a shot, he'll make plays.”
In the plays where Graf found Williams, it usually led to touchdowns as it did when the Eagles took back the lead in the third quarter.
2. Facing adversity
Atlantic had multiple opportunities to capitalize on the mistakes of Plantation, but it was close for most of the game.
Trying to extend their 13-12 lead in the fourth quarter, running back Jayden Parrish broke off for a huge run that would’ve set the Eagles in prime position to score. However, he fumbled and it was recovered by the Colonels, giving them another chance to get back in the game.
It was one of the many mistakes the Eagles made, but ultimately played their best football later on.
Stewart talked about the team facing adversity and dealing with it as the game went on:
“We’re a bend, but don't break team. Our kids have been faced with adversity since the summer, just like dealing with deaths all across the board and the kids are still constantly calm. They fight, they're grimy,” Stewart said. “I tell them football teaches you everything about life. I mean we have boys on our team who lose their mothers, these boys came together as one there to support each other.”
Stewart also said that he was thinking of pulling Parrish out after the fumble, but saw how he held himself accountable and trusted him. Parrish went on to score the go-ahead touchdown to extend the Eagles’ lead in the fourth quarter.
3. Defense steps up
The defense showed out from the first quarter to the last as they recorded three interceptions, two by Devon Byrd.
Stewart said that he really appreciated the effort made by the unit in an intense situation like the playoffs.
“I love it, we were running crazy in the first half. We were lining up right, we weren’t getting calls in and things were just not in our favor, so we had to take a turn,” Stewart said. “I really showed them how to line up during halftime and just told him if we just come out and execute, everything else will be alright and we'll come out on top and that's what they did.”
In the final two drives for Plantation, Colonels quarterback Amer Ellis threw two pick sixes that sealed the deal for the Eagles to come away at home with the win.
The Eagles are hoping they can carry this momentum from the victory as they head into a tough test against St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 18.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Atlantic Eagles turn to St. Thomas Aquinas after win in playoff opener
