In a stunning finish West Boca sophomore quarterback Mason Mallory threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to
sophomore wide receiver Kyle Andrews on a Hail Mary to the end zone as time expired and the
Bulls stunned host Atlantic 23-22 in a Class 3M regional quarterfinal on Friday night.
West Boca, which reached the playoffs for the first time since 2013, won its first playoff game in
school history in dramatic fashion.
“We practice that situation all year and our kids were well prepared for it,” West Boca coach
Dylan Potts said. “At the end of the day, it’s all credit to them and they have to execute it.
Mason kept the play alive and gave us a chance and we made a play. We knew it was going to
come down to the fourth quarter. Our kids kept going and just hung in there. We just fought to
the end.”
Potts credited the effort from his players and coaching staff to reach the regional semifinal.
“When we took over, we had our sights on getting to the playoffs and making a little run,” Potts
said. “We want to prove we are one of the best teams in Palm Beach County and you can’t start
until you beat some of the top teams like Atlantic. It feels great. We are going to keep working to
prove we belong at the top.”
West Boca sophomore running back Javian Mallory rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown in the
victory. He left the game with a lower extremity injury with 11:01 left in the fourth quarter and
did not return.
“I know how hard the boys work every day in practice and I had faith they would pull it out,”
Javian Mallory said. “This has been the plan since day one. Everybody believed and bought in
and we trusted Coach Potts to be in this position. It’s just a blessing.”
Atlantic (9-2) trailed 16-14 with 6:38 left in the fourth and rallied back with a 90-yard scoring
drive. Junior quarterback Lincoln Graf fired a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver
Jadarius Patterson with 30 seconds left. Graf connected with sophomore James Jones for a two-
point conversion to make it 22-16.
West Boca (9-2) marched downfield as Mallory delivered a completion. West Boca moved
deeper into Atlantic territory after a 15-yard penalty and had the ball at the Eagles 32 with eight
seconds left. Mallory moved out of the pocket and launched a ball toward the end zone as
sophomore Zacharias Walls leaped up against multiple defenders and tipped the ball in the air
before Andrews made the diving catch. Freshman kicker John Farfan drilled the game-winning
extra point.
“I believed in this team and knew once we got the ball in that last possession, we were going to
find a way to score and we did,” Mason Mallory said. “I love my wide receivers and they come through when they need to. I just hung in there and tried to make the throw. It’s just a crazy feeling.”
Andrews, who grew up playing for the Delay Rocks youth tackle football organization, said it was his biggest highlight on his football journey. “The ball was tipped and I just went for it and caught it,” he said. “I am going to enjoy it and it’s definitely just an amazing moment.”
Atlantic had a 14-play, 87-yard scoring drive and took 8:38 off the clock to open the contest. On
fourth-and-goal, Jayden Parrish rushed up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown.
Atlantic missed an opportunity with a scoring chance on their next drive.
On third-and-2 at the West Boca 15, junior Aaron Ford recorded an interception with 8:48 left in the second.
West Boca marched downfield on an 88-yard scoring drive on the ensuing possession. Sophomore star Javian Mallory rushed for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 7-7 with 3:52 remaining in the first half.
Parrish powered his way into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-7 advantage with 5:19 left in the third quarter.
Atlantic sophomore Tyrelle Owens had an interception in front of the end zone by the sideline on the next series.
West Boca responded as senior Chase Quarterman made a tackle in the end zone for a safety to
cut the deficit to 14-9 with 2:06 left in the third.
West Boca took more than eight minutes off the clock on their next possession. The Bulls
converted on fourth-and-1 at the 26 on a 3-yard run. Freshman running back Anderson Gracilien
rushed for a 1-yard score to give the Bulls a 16-14 advantage with 6:38 remaining.
The Bulls defense stepped up with a sack on a fourth-and-5 play at the Eagles 30, but a defensive
holding penalty was called to extend the drive with 4:15 left. Graf had a third-down completion
to midfield during the possession. Patterson, who led the Eagles in receiving, delivered the go-
ahead 16-yard touchdown reception.
Parrish rushed for 61 yards and two scores for the Eagles. Senior running back Da’Marion
Alberic rushed for 77 yards. Graf finished with 211 passing yards and a touchdown.
“The kids gave it their all and we were on the wrong side,” Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray said.
“It’s on us as coaches and it’s something we can learn from. West Boca has a good team. We felt
we should have come out on the other end. It just didn’t go our way.”