Week 3 High School Football Roundup: Big Wins, Statement Performances and Players Who Stood

Week 3 of the South Florida high school football season delivered everything from shutouts and blowouts to nationally relevant matchups. Several programs continued undefeated starts, while others got an early look at just how demanding the 2026 season could become.

Rangeman Films reviewed the Week 3 scoreboard along with available game reports, MaxPreps statistics and local coverage to identify some of the players who made their presence felt. Where complete individual game statistics were not publicly available, we have avoided assigning unverified numbers or performances.

Pahokee 33, Benjamin 3

Pahokee continues to look like one of Palm Beach County’s most dangerous teams. The Blue Devils moved to 3-0 with a convincing 33-3 victory over Benjamin, controlling the game with defense and explosive plays.

Pahokee standouts: Corian Davis was one of the names at the center of the Blue Devils’ big night. Rangeman Films’ coverage also captured Davis making an interception return for a touchdown. Quarterback Braylon Peterson continued to direct the Pahokee offense, while the Blue Devils’ defense repeatedly put Benjamin in difficult situations. The Palm Beach Post’s postgame coverage specifically highlighted Davis and Pahokee’s defense as driving forces in the victory.

Benjamin standouts: Benjamin struggled to generate points against Pahokee’s defense, but players such as Jayden Cosby-Mosley and Markel Etienne made defensive plays during the contest in Rangeman Films’ game coverage. Benjamin finally broke the shutout with a late field goal, producing the 33-3 final.

Rangeman Take: Pahokee isn’t simply 3-0—the Blue Devils are showing they can create points on offense, defense and special situations. That’s a dangerous formula.

Cardinal Newman 45, John Carroll Catholic 7

Cardinal Newman made another major statement, routing previously unbeaten John Carroll Catholic 45-7 and improving to 3-0. MaxPreps currently has the Crusaders among Florida’s highly ranked programs, and after three weeks, they continue to justify the attention.

Cardinal Newman standouts: Newman’s biggest standout may be the team’s overall balance. After opening with a 37-7 victory and surviving a 47-46 battle with Cardinal Mooney, the Crusaders showed another dimension by dominating John Carroll.

John Carroll standout: Even in the loss, John Carroll entered Week 3 at 2-0. The Golden Rams finally encountered a Newman defense that limited them to seven points. Complete verified individual Week 3 statistics were not publicly available in the sources reviewed.

Rangeman Take: Newman has now won three very different types of games. That’s an encouraging sign for a team with championship expectations.

West Boca Raton 37, Spanish River 0

Another week, another West Boca statement.

The Bulls shut out Spanish River 37-0, with MaxPreps recording 268 rushing yards for West Boca in the victory.

West Boca standout: The running game deserves the headline. West Boca didn’t need to live through the air—the Bulls controlled the game on the ground while their defense did not surrender a point.

Spanish River standout: It was a difficult night offensively for the Sharks against one of the area’s strongest programs. The challenge for Spanish River now is turning the experience against West Boca into improvement as the schedule continues.

Rangeman Take: West Boca remains one of the teams everyone in South Florida has to account for. A 37-point win is impressive. A 37-point shutout sends an even bigger message.

Palm Beach Central 24, Dr. Joaquin Garcia 12

Palm Beach Central remained undefeated with a 24-12 victory over Dr. Joaquin Garcia, improving to 3-0.

The Broncos produced 301 yards of offense, including 217 through the air and 84 on the ground.

Palm Beach Central players to watch: Lindsey Hartwig Jr. has emerged as one of the Broncos’ primary receiving weapons this season, while sophomore Brandon Pendergrass II leads the team’s ground attack. Defensively, Joe Sykes, Tyler Alexander and Nazier Watkins are among Palm Beach Central’s statistical leaders through the early season.

Garcia standout: The Bulldogs managed 12 points against a Central team that had surrendered only 16 combined points in its first two games. Full individual Week 3 statistics for Garcia were not available in the sources reviewed.

Rangeman Take: Palm Beach Central isn’t getting enough attention. Three games. Three wins. The Broncos have earned their place in the early Palm Beach County conversation.

King’s Academy 35, NSU University 12

The King’s Academy continued its hot start with a convincing 35-12 road victory over NSU University.

MaxPreps selected Aydan Elam, Chase Croteau, Lucas Destefano and Ben McPherson as King’s Academy’s Players of the Game.

Those selections came from a roster that already has several productive early-season players. Roman Driggers has been the Lions’ leading rusher, McPherson leads the team in receiving yards per game, Croteau has been a tackling leader, and Caleb Scroggins has been producing pressure with four recorded sacks through the available statistics.

For NSU University, the Sharks were able to find the end zone twice but couldn’t keep pace with King’s Academy’s offensive production.

Rangeman Take: Don’t overlook TKA. The Lions are putting together wins while developing multiple players capable of changing a game.

St. Thomas Aquinas 31, Columbus 24

Outside the immediate Palm Beach County scoreboard, one of South Florida’s biggest games of Week 3 lived up to the hype.

St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Columbus 31-24 in a battle between two nationally regarded programs.

The headline belonged to Aquinas quarterback and Pitt commit Tyler Reid, who piled up 338 total yards and four touchdowns.

Columbus didn’t go quietly. The Explorers stayed within striking distance and forced Aquinas to earn the victory before the Raiders eventually pulled away.

Rangeman Take: Reid’s performance belongs on any list of the best individual performances in South Florida this week.

Vero Beach 6, St. Frances Academy 38

Vero Beach received one of the toughest tests imaginable against national power St. Frances Academy and fell 38-6. Vero played without standout quarterback Champ Monds, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury, putting freshman Makai White into an unexpected first start.

For Vero, Latravious Woods Jr., Marc Johns and Kaden Huggins remain players to watch as the Indians turn their attention toward the rest of the schedule.

Rangeman Take: Don’t overreact to this one. St. Frances is a national-level opponent, and Vero entered the matchup without its starting quarterback. How Vero responds will tell us much more about this team.

Week 3 Scoreboard Notes

The rest of the Week 3 slate featured plenty of movement. Boca Raton defeated Olympic Heights 40-25, while Lake Worth forfeited to Santaluces. Palm Beach Central handled Garcia 24-12, Pahokee rolled past Benjamin 33-3, King’s Academy beat NSU University 35-12, and several other games across the county produced decisive results. MaxPreps’ Thursday scoreboard independently confirms those results.

Not every scheduled matchup was played. Weather, postponements and other circumstances affected parts of the Week 3 schedule, meaning the early-season picture remains fluid.

Rangeman Films Week 3 Standout Watch

A few names and units particularly caught our attention this week: Corian Davis and the Pahokee defense, Tyler Reid of St. Thomas Aquinas, Aydan Elam, Chase Croteau, Lucas Destefano and Ben McPherson of King’s Academy, Palm Beach Central’s young offensive core, and the West Boca defense, which pitched a shutout.

Week 3 also reinforced something we’ve seen developing since opening night: Palm Beach County has no shortage of legitimate football teams in 2026.

Pahokee is 3-0. Cardinal Newman is 3-0. Palm Beach Central is 3-0. West Boca continues to dominate opponents. King’s Academy keeps winning.

And we’re only three weeks in.

The Cage Sports Show / Rangeman Films will continue tracking the players, teams and performances shaping the 2026 season as we head into Week 4.

By Rangeman Films / The Cage Sports Show

September 6, 2026