BOCA RATON — West Boca senior running back Javian Mallory rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns as the host Bulls delivered a dominant performance with a 50-7 victory against Palm Beach Central on Thursday night.
Mallory, a University of Miami commit, had a 10-yard touchdown run and 14-yard score in the first quarter. He added a 58-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Mallory had just seven carries in the contest, but he also pulled in a 16-yard catch.
“We had to fix the mistakes from two weeks ago from the Chaminade game and come out hungry and we did what we had to do,” Mallory said. “Everybody knows what we do here. We pride ourselves on running the football. We came in and established the run game. It’s my first real game back from last year and it felt amazing to be back in action.”
Calerbe Hermane (15) of West Boca gains a few tough yards as Taivon Hyatt (8) of palm Beach Central makes the tackle on the play. Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
West Boca (1-0), who finished 15-0 and captured the Class 6A state championship last season, led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and had a 21-7 advantage at halftime in their season opener. The Bulls pulled away in the second half and had a 34-7 lead at the end of the third.
“I thought our defense showed up like they always do,” West Boca coach Dylan Potts said. “We ran the ball extremely well. We really dominated the line of scrimmage. We want to play defense and run the football and I think that’s what we did tonight.”
West Boca’s defense created four turnovers, including a fumble recovery return for a score and interception return for a touchdown. Junior defensive tackle Jamar Thompson also had an impressive performance to lead the Bulls defense.
“That was one of the points of emphasis this year defensively,” Potts said. “Let’s create turnovers and get our offense multiple possessions. The defense is playing at a high level early in the year.”
Jayden Lockhart (7) of West Boca celebrates a touchdown against Palm Beach Central in the first quarter with Erik Dacosta (33). Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
West Boca had a seven-play, 80-yard scoring drive on their first possession. Junior quarterback Trey Moran fired a 29-yard pass to junior wide receiver Billy Clancy. Mallory bounced out to the left for a 10-yard score with 8:32 left in the first quarter.
The Bulls had a six-play, 78-yard scoring drive on their next series, which included a 23-yard run by senior quarterback Omari McNeal. Junior running back Jayden Lockhart rushed for a 3-yard score to extend the lead to 14-0 with 4:36 remaining in the first.
Junior Max Reid recorded an interception at the Broncos’ 35-yard line later in the first. On third-and-3, Mallory rushed up the middle for a 14-yard score to push the lead to 21-0 with 1:32 left in the first.
The Bulls missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with 6:11 left in the second quarter, and Palm Beach Central (0-2) capitalized with a scoring drive on the ensuing possession. Senior quarterback Chance Routson connected with senior wide receiver Antoine Perry for an 8-yard score to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 35 seconds left in the first half.
Palm Beach Central quarterback Chance Routson (16) drops back to pass against West Boca. Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
Mallory exploded for a 58-yard touchdown run with 10:32 left in the third quarter to make it 27-7.
Junior Amari Ford forced a fumble and junior Damari Jerry had a 24-yard return for a touchdown
to increase the lead to 34-7.
Junior running back Quinton Miller Jr. registered a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 41-7 with 10:45 left in the fourth.
Senior Chris Medina had a fumble recovery and junior kicker Tristan Lamb converted a 26-yard field goal in the fourth for the Bulls. Senior Tray Mitchell added an interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
Javian Mallory (3) of West Boca dives for a touchdown in the first quarter as Taivon Hyatt (8) of Palm Beach Central makes the tackle on the play. Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (Jim Rassol/Contributor).
