WELLINGTON — Kevin Thompson knew better than to relax. Palm Beach Central High's football team had just played its best half of the season, scoring on two long passes and forcing three turnovers to take a 17-0 lead over Dr. Joaquin Garcia into the locker room. Did Thompson feel his team had taken control of the game? "No," he said. "I know who I'm coaching. ... When we went into that locker room, I said, 'Well, let's see (which team) we get in the second half.' And you saw what we got in the second half." The Broncos weathered a second-half rally by the Bulldogs and tacked on a late touchdown to post a 24-12 victory on Sept. 3 in the District 13-6A opener for both teams. Central improved to 3-0 overall and Garcia dropped to 1-2. For Thompson, the pattern was all too familiar. The Broncos struggled to defeat Glades Central and Park Vista in their first two games, piling up more than 100 yards in penalties in each. "It's been like this the whole season," he said. "I've said to every reporter, I'll say it again: It's probably going to be the greatest coaching job I've ever done in my life. These young kids are graying me, man." The mistakes continued against the Bulldogs. Central was flagged for 165 yards in penalties, and a fumble set up a short touchdown drive that allowed Garcia to close the deficit to 17-12 early in the fourth quarter.
Get discount to stream games on NFHS Network That made it easy to forget that dominant first half. Early in the second quarter, Garcia had a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line when Central cornerback Nazier Watkins picked off an Andreas Lajko pass and returned it to the 50-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Isaiah Hamilton threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Logan Lindsey Hartwig. "I told coach I had a mismatch in the slot," Hartwig said of the play. It was the first of three touchdowns for Hartwig. He also caught a 47-yard scoring pass from Hamilton and sealed the victory when he took the snap on a fake field-goal attempt and ran 3 yards for a TD with 2:09 remaining.
Even then, Thompson had one more anxious moment. Garcia's Zion Vilma, a Rutgers commit, took the ensuing kickoff and ran 95 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a holding penalty wiped out the spectacular return. "I thought, 'Yep, that's about right,'" Thompson said. "That's us." Junior quarterback Alexander Loukas replaced Lajko in the second half and led the Bulldogs' comeback. Loukas ran 3 yards for a score, capping a 65-yard drive, and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ayden Furelos. Central's defense forced five turnovers, including two interceptions by Watkins and one each by sophomore Jamari Burgess and senior Tyler Desilma. Thompson said the unit played "OK."
"We're not where we need to be," he said. "We're playing for shutouts and goose-eggs and all those things. We've still got to keep getting better." Central running back Brandon Pendergrass, who entered the game averaging 148 rushing yards per game, left with an injury after carrying only nine times for 19 yards. Thompson said he did not know the extent of the injury. "We have to wait for X-rays and exams and say a little prayer for him," the coach said. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Logan Lindsey Hartwig's 3 TDs lead Palm Beach Central over DJG Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.