Atlantic, Graf make strong opening statement in rout of Palm Beach Gardens

DELRAY BEACH  — Atlantic senior quarterback Lincoln Graf accounted for three touchdowns as the host Eagles cruised past Palm Beach Gardens 42-3 in their season opener on Friday night.

Atlantic jumped out to a 16-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter and had a 29-3 lead at halftime.

“I feel really good about all phases,” Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray said. “The offense played well and Lincoln led us. The defense made the stops, and we had a good emphasis on creating turnovers. We made some plays on special teams. It was a good start.”

Graf rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter and added a scoring pass in the third quarter.

“We had envisioned that start to the game,” Graf said. “We got the ball first and scored and were able to get up by a couple of scores quickly. Our defense played stellar, and our special teams also gave us a lot of momentum.”

Atlantic started at its own 30-yard line on the opening possession. On fourth-and-15 at the Gators 25, Graf connected with senior wide receiver Teddy Hoffmann for a 23-yard reception. Graf rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to open the scoring with 7:44 left in the first quarter. Junior Kemari Walcott tossed a pass to senior Jabari Henry for the two-point conversion.

The Eagles’ defense created a turnover with a fumble recovery at the Gators’ 13 later in the first.

Graf bounced out to his left and had a 13-yard touchdown run to extend the lead. Walcott connected with senior David Calixte for the two-point conversion with 3:40 remaining in the first.

Palm Beach Gardens sophomore quarterback Jordan Johnson stepped up during the next series as the Gators marched downfield deep into Eagles territory. Sophomore kicker Ryan Hammond converted a 23-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 16-3 with 9:50 left in the second quarter.

Atlantic senior running back Deandre Desinor, a West Virginia commit, had a 32-yard catch-and-run to the Gators’ 23 late in the first half. Desinor capped off the scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 22-3.

On the ensuing kickoff, Atlantic senior Dylan Elie recovered a fumble and raced to the end zone for a score to make it 29-3 with 1:04 left in the first half.

Atlantic senior Derrick Daughrity recorded an interception late in the second quarter.

Graf fired a 13-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Legend Felican to make it 36-3 with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

Elie rushed for a 5-yard score in the fourth to increase the lead to 42-3.