Atlantic sophomore quarterback Lincoln Graf passed for three touchdowns as the host Eagles delivered a strong performance with a 28-12 victory against Monarch on Thursday night.
Atlantic (1-1) bounced back after they were unable to hold a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in a 39-38 overtime loss to Palm Beach Gardens during the season opener.
“I think after last week, we had a chip on our shoulder,” Atlantic head coach Jamael Stewart said. “Our guys stayed poised and went out and made plays when they needed to do. We were able to keep them from making big plays.”
Atlantic jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and pulled away in the first half as they led 28-6 at halftime.
“Lincoln has put in a lot of work and it shows,” Stewart said. “He has been a leader and we named him team captain as a sophomore. He really connected well with his receivers during the summer and it’s great just watching them work. Lincoln loves it with those guys out there.”
Atlantic scored on the opening possession of the game. Graf converted a fourth-down pass on a slant to sophomore wide receiver Kamare Williams, who broke free and raced for a 44-yard score.
“We have been working really hard in practice and it really paid off and it showed on the field,” Graf said. “We were able to stay focused this week. The reps last year really has let me settle down and the nerves are not as high.”
The Eagles stepped up with another fourth-down conversion in Knights (1-1) territory later in the first quarter as Graf scrambled for a 15-yard gain. Graf connected with senior wide receiver Martay McClendon in the left corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-0 with 4:14 left in the first.
Monarch junior quarterback AJ Hairston rushed for a 7-yard score to cut the deficit to 14-6 in the second quarter.
The Eagles responded back as Graf fired a 19-yard scoring pass to Williams in the right corner of the end zone to extend the lead to 20-6.
Graf fired a deep pass to McClendon down the right sideline to the Knights’ 4-yard line late in the first half. Junior standout linebacker and running back Jayden Parrish powered his way for a 2-yard touchdown late in the first half. Graf connected with McClendon in the end zone for a two-point conversion to increase the lead to 28-6.
The Knights answered back in the third quarter. Hairston bounced out to the right and turned upfield as he crossed into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown run to make it 28-12 with 4:59 left in the third.
Monarch reached the Eagles 9-yard line early in the fourth, but Hairston’s touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Joshua Pena was negated after a penalty. The Knights were unable to convert after an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Monarch reached the Eagles 30-yard line on the next drive, but failed again on a fourth-down run with 5:45 left in the fourth.
Monarch defeated Boca Raton 38-8 in the season opener, but were unable to finish drives throughout the contest against the Eagles.
“We had some opportunities in the red zone where we should have punched it in and made some big plays,” Monarch coach Calvin Davis said. “We had a couple of penalties and if you are going to beat a good team, you can not have that happen and we need to be able to score in the red zone. We started slow and we need to finish better. We will bounce back and will be ready for the upcoming weeks and districts.”
