BOCA RATON — St. Andrew’s football coach Jimmy Robertson celebrated a memorable birthday and received a Gatorade shower from his team as the Scots defense made a stop at the 2-yard line on the final play of the game for a 10-7 victory in overtime against host West Boca on Friday night.
St. Andrew’s (3-0) trailed 7-0 late in the fourth quarter before senior quarterback Dylan Mayers fired a 6-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Dylan Faison to tie the game with 2:27 left.
West Boca (2-1) reached the St. Andrew’s 16 with 7 seconds left. After the Bulls kept the offense on the field, Faison stepped in front of a pass and recorded an interception on the final play of regulation.
St. Andrew’s senior kicker Jack Kampe drilled a 27-yard field goal on the first possession in overtime.
West Boca sophomore running back Javian Mallory had four consecutive carries in overtime for the Bulls. On fourth-and-goal
at the 2, he was stopped short at the line of scrimmage.
“This game is all about defense,” Robertson said. “We knew West Boca was going to be a tough running team and tough team overall.
“We tried to get our best players out on the field to make plays. That last play, it worked. We knew what they were doing. They thought they can just pound that ball in. Hats off to our defense and our staff. They did one heck of a job this week.”
St. Andrew’s continued to show their determination as they had previously defeated King’s Academy in double overtime in the season opener.
“We just got grit and pride,” Robertson said. “We try to represent St. Andrew’s the best way. We have tough kids here.”
Javian Mallory, a Sun Sentinel Super 11 selection, had a 7-yard touchdown run with 7:20 left in the fourth to break a scoreless tie. He finished the game with 104 rushing yards on 26 carries. He also added three catches for 22 yards.
“I am running that same play 10 times out of 10 at the end,” West Boca coach Dylan Potts said. “They stopped it there and they made one more play than we did.”
West Boca was called for a taunting penalty after the touchdown and St. Andrew’s capitalized and took advantage of the field position on the ensuing kickoff. They started their next drive at the Bulls 45.
“At the end of the day, we were undisciplined and they were the more disciplined team,” Potts said. “We had way too many penalties. We have to work harder and get that corrected. Our defense held them to 10 points and did their job. Hats off to St. Andrew’s. They executed a good game plan and their kids were more disciplined in all facets of the game.”
St. Andrew’s offense rallied late in the fourth as junior wide receiver Teddy Hoffmann had a 14-yard catch and 10-yard reception to help the Scots get deep into Bulls territory. Hoffmann finished the contest with four catches for 54 yards.
Mayers connected with Faison in the end zone for the 6-yard score.
It was definetely a huge boost,” Faison said. “We worked that whole drive to get down there. Our defense locked up at the end. We have a lot of grit and passion and that is what won this game.”
Mayers had 32 rushing yards to go with his touchdown toss.
“We were struggling and everyone just stayed composed like we had to and we executed,” Mayers said. “It shows our team camaraderie and how good we play together and how much of a family this team is.”
West Boca reached the St. Andrew’s 3-yard line on the opening drive. The Scots defense stepped up and forced a fourth-and-goal at the 12. Mason Mallory’s throw into the end zone was dropped.
The Scots marched downfield on their opening drive after Mayers fired a 29-yard pass to Hoffmann. On fourth-and-4 at the Bulls 25, Mayers launched an incomplete pass.
St. Andrew’s senior Dom Deering recorded an interception at the Bulls 32 with 2:03 left in the first half. The Scots came up empty on the ensuing drive after an incomplete pass on fourth down.
St. Andrew’s reached the West Boca 26 on the opening drive of the second half, but they were forced to punt.
West Boca had another drive stall in St. Andrew’s territory in the third quarter. On fourth-and-6 at the Scots 26, Mason Mallory’s pass into the end zone was broken up.
West Boca started the opening possession of fourth quarter at the St. Andrew’s 31. Javian Mallory was injured on the first play of the drive. He was able to return to the game and delivered a 4-yard gain on fourth-and-1 at the 11. He powered his way up the middle for a 7-yard score on the next play.
West Boca previously rolled to a 63-0 victory against John I. Leonard in the season opener. They also cruised to a 51-7 win against Lake Worth last week.
St. Andrew’s had a 42-7 victory against West Boca last season.
