The Broncos are eager to rid themselves of the bitter taste from last year's regional loss to Vero Beach.
Palm Beach Central's football squad is quite a bit younger this year, but there are still more than enough players that remember the bitter taste of last year's regional playoff exit.
The Broncos' season ended with a 21-20 defeat after the same Vero Beach player blocked an extra point and then ran back a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to advance to the regional finals.
Palm Beach Central, the top seed and home favorite, was left stunned and staring ahead at a long offseason.
"We had the overloaded team last year, and the goal is always states, but I don't think we knew what it took to get there," quarterback Chance Routson said. "Now, we went through that scenario last year and we know what it takes and what we need to do as a team and coaching staff. This is the year we get over that hump."
For a big, talented senior class, that loss was the final game on a high-school field. But for those returning stars like Routson — and players ready to step into starting roles — the taste of redemption in the air is almost palpable.
"There definitely is, and there's definitely some unfinished business with a couple of teams that we play," Routson said. "A couple get-backs that we need that we're definitely ready for. That's been sitting in our mind for this past season and when you have a loss like that, those marinate in your head."
Cameron Dwyer, one of two high-profile West Virginia recruits in the Central linebacker group, was injured in the second half of that fateful game last season, a loss that the Central defense lamented.
Now, he's hungry for more.
"We're the heart of the team," Dwyer said of the Broncos' defense. "We're going to be the ones this year that are going to take it all the way. My last game against Vero, I went out with a bang, but I got hurt in the third quarter. I've got a lot to prove this season."
For head coach Kevin Thompson, the suggestion that there is "unfinished business" is a player mindset he appreciates — but the nature of business left incomplete falls in the details where mistakes were made last year, something he's been working to address.
"It's one of those things where it's somebody making two plays that define a team that thought they were prepared," Thompson said of the loss to Vero Beach. "Our guys went through the motions on the PAT. That same guy returned that kick. That's the unfinished business for me. Not the opponent. Us, the whole year, staying mentally locked in."
Thompson then echoed his senior quarterback.
"Getting over the hump," he said. "This whole summer has been about finishing."
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Central football opens fall practice pursuing redemption
Category: General Sports
