BOCA RATON — West Boca Raton senior running back Javian Mallory had 201 total yards and scored three touchdowns as the host Bulls cruised to a 48-7 victory against East Lake in a Class 6A regional semifinal on Friday night.
Mallory had 18 carries for 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns while adding a 9-yard catch in three quarters of action. He had a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a 16-yard score in the second and a 4-yard touchdown in the third.
“I’m here playing my part and playing as hard as I can,” Mallory said. “It’s a team effort and we all got each other’s back. I’m here doing what I love doing. These are my last high school games. I’m giving it my all.”
West Boca (10-2) led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter and had a 20-0 advantage at halftime. The Bulls continued to pull away in the second half with a 41-7 advantage entering the fourth.
West Boca junior Andreson Gracilien and senior Tayegan Briskey each scored twice in the win. Gracilien had a scoop and score after a blocked punt in the second quarter and he added a touchdown run in the third. Briskey had a kickoff return for a score in the third quarter and registered a touchdown catch in the fourth.
“I thought we played great in all three phases,” West Boca coach Dylan Potts said. “Anytime you score two touchdowns on special teams, it’s going to be hard to lose the game. Defense came out and played excellent. I am pleased with the offense. We want to run the football and control the clock.”
The Bulls defensive line delivered a strong performance behind senior Demetrius Geathers, senior Grant Edmond, senior Chris Medina and junior Jamar Thompson.
“We prioritized stopping the run,” Geathers said. “The mindset was to dominate. We wanted it more and we did an excellent job. We have been here before and the goal is to win another state championship.”
The Bulls defense has allowed just 14 combined points in their two playoff wins.
“We came out here and dominated,” Medina said. “That’s what we practiced all week and the coaches put us in a great position to make plays. It’s a great feeling.”
West Boca had a 12-play, 89-yard scoring drive on their opening possession. Mallory had seven carries for 58 yards on the drive and added a 9-yard reception. Mallory capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
“Last week, the offense came out real slow and we got stopped way too many times,” Mallory said. “The main focus and goal all week was to come out hard, be physical and score on the first drive. We came out and ran the ball how we should do each game. The O-line and receivers blocked very well. That was West Boca football. It’s what we’re looking for these next three games and to continue to dominate. We have to stay humble and take it week-by-week.”
East Lake (8-3) marched into West Boca territory on the ensuing possession, but junior Larry Morgan leaped up and recorded an interception at the Bulls12-yard line.
Edmond stepped up by blocking a punt deep in East Lake territory as Gracilien picked up the football and raced to the end zone for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Omari McNeal had a two-point conversion run to make it 14-0 with 6:45 left in the first half.
Mallory powered his way up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 20-0 with 2:06 remaining in the second.
West Boca missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left in the first half.
The Bulls scored on the opening drive of the second half. Mallory rushed for a 4-yard touchdown to push the lead to 27-0 with 7:15 left in the third quarter.
West Boca junior quarterback Trey Moran had a 28-yard pass to Gracilien later in the third. On the next play, Gracilien rushed for a 2-yard score to increase the lead to 34-0.
East Lake responded as senior quarterback Eli Millian tossed a 34-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Jeremiah Cooper.
On the ensuing kickoff, Briskey raced past defenders for a touchdown to make it 41-7 with 1:37 left in the third.
“Coach Potts preaches to play your role,” Briskey said. “I was the one that had to step up this game. It felt great to help us get the win. I watched film all week and I take pride in getting the opportunity to take one back. That’s exactly what we need is a game-changing play and big plays like that in playoff games.”
McNeal fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to Briskey to give the Bulls a 48-7 lead in the fourth.
West Boca will host Mitchell in Class 6A regional final next Friday.
“The message is to keep going,” Potts said. “It’s really dominating all three phases. Keep being good on special teams. We know what the defense is going to do. On offense, we got to be efficient, run the ball and no turnovers. If we do that, we’re going to be in a good position.”
