Palm Beach County football's eight most shocking upsets of 2023 season
The postseason has arrived for Florida high school football teams and 14 Palm Beach County squads are stoked to be on the drive to state championships in December.
But that doesn't mean there weren't times when they didn't find themselves upset along the way. Literally.
Before playoff action kicks off on Friday, reflect on the most shocking wins and losses that made the regular season in Palm Beach County one to remember.
Jupiter's 24-11 season opener over Dwyer
Given that Jupiter is now a district champion and designated host site for Class 4M region quarterfinals, we know that this win wasn't by fluke but by design.
However, 12 weeks later, north county residents and preps fans still are talking about what a shock it was that the Warriors downed Dwyer, the longtime victor of the Military Trail rivalry. Jupiter's 24-11 win was the program's first over the Panthers in more than two decades.
Benjamin's big statement against Clearwater Academy International
When Clearwater Academy International's players walked off the bus for their visit to Benjamin, the eye test suggested things wouldn't end well for the Bucs. That day, heart beat height and weight, and Benjamin pulled out a culture-shifting 27-21 win against the nationally recognized Knights.
A three-touchdown, 10-tackle performance by three-star senior Jacob Cosby-Mosley, a Wake Forest commit, made for quite the highlight reel.
When Northwestern said no to Cardinal Newman
Normally, there's no such thing as a Newman upset. In recent seasons, there's been only one time a year when the Crusaders aren't the favorite — region finals against powerhouse and defending 1M state champion Chaminade-Madonna.
But a loss came far earlier than expected for Newman coach Jack Daniels and company when a 1-3 Northwestern, ranked No. 351 in the state, beat a Newman crew that sat in the top five. The 7-2, touchdown-less final was a bitter pill to swallow for the Crusaders. However, remembering the taste of defeat inspired a four-game win streak, including 60-plus-point victories against Clewiston and St. John Paul II, accompanied by a rivalry win over Benjamin and a season finale W at Palm Beach Central.
Boca Raton reverses Santaluces script to win district
Boca Raton wasn't going to let history repeat itself. The Bobcats decided to rewrite it instead.
Santaluces took the championship by one point for District 11-4M in 2022. This fall, the Chiefs fell by three points as Boca reclaimed its first district championship since 2001.
Ten fourth-quarter points — a 60-yard drive capped off by a 13-yard pass from quarterback Chance Routson to receiver Braedon Avery with a 19-yard field goal from Santiago Cortes — made it 24-14 with 3:28 left before a last-ditch touchdown from the Chiefs.
Palm Beach Central's fourth-quarter comeback against the Bucs
A 17-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter made it seem like the Bucs were going to stay undefeated at Central. Then a 27-point comeback by the Broncos' quick-strike offense, highlighted by two touchdowns for quarterback Caleb Butler, made for one of the season's most electric faceoffs.
Palm Beach Gardens ends series drought against Broncos
Just two weeks after that glorious late rally, Central took its first loss of the season to a senior-led crew of Gators. Keyon Stephens stepped up for three touchdowns on 311 total yards — 168 yards passing and 143 rushing — to see Gardens to a 23-14 win.
2016 was the last time the Broncos took a loss from the "G-Pack."
Warriors wow again to chomp Gators for district title
The Warriors downed the Gators in 2020 under then-coach Tim Tharp, but he was the head coach at Gardens the last time Jupiter won a district championship in 2004, then against Boca Raton.
A meeting with Gardens was set to be the telltale sign of whether Jupiter was legit in 2023. Quarterback and safety Luke Douglas proved to be the truth on both sides of the ball. He had four touchdowns on offense and contributed four tackles, plus a forced fumble and PBU on defense.
Royal Palm Beach rocks new and improved Palm Beach Lakes
Palm Beach Lakes has been on the up-and-up since the arrival of new head coach Turmarian Moreland in the offseason. A 20-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter suggested the turnaround would continue with the Rams flipping the script against Royal Palm, similarly under construction with head coach Chuck Kenyon.
Instead, the Wildcats put together 20 points in the final minutes of action to continue working toward starting a series streak over Lakes, winning 27-20 this year after dealing a 20-16 payback win last fall.
Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
Palm Beach County High School Football
Class 4M
Region 3
No. 8 Stoneman Douglas (4-6) at No. 1 Monarch (8-2)
No. 5 Palm Beach Gardens (6-4) at No. 4 Santaluces (7-3)
No. 7 Spanish River (7-3) at No. 2 Palm Beach Central (8-2)
No. 6 Boca Raton (6-4) at No. 3 Jupiter (9-1)
Class 3M
Region 3
No. 7 West Boca Raton (8-2) at No. 2 Atlantic (9-1)
Class 2M
Region 3
No. 5 Somerset-Canyons (7-3) at No. 4 King's Academy (8-2)
No. 6 Calvary Christian (7-3) at No. 3 St. Andrew's (9-1)
Class 1R
Region 4
No. 5 Dixie County (7-3) at No. 4 Pahokee (5-4)
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County football's eight most shocking upsets of 2023 season
