On Wednesday, August 20, the Bolles Football team loaded the buses to head south and take on the Monarch Knights in Fort Lauderdale for the fourth annual Broward County National High School Football Showcase. 

This showcase lasted from 8/21-8/23 and presented some of the top high school football teams in the nation. This year, the event featured 8 games at 3 different venues. This is the Bulldogs first time participating in this event.

All the teams that participated enjoyed a stay at the Visit Lauderdale Hotel. The hotel provided the players with a snack room as well as a breakfast buffet. Teams also enjoyed lunch at Dave and Busters where players could eat and play in the arcade before their game. After a good night’s sleep and lunch, 16 teams showcased their talents on the field.

To kickoff the showcase, the Piper Bengals (Sunrise, FL) faced the Peachtree Ridge Lions (Suwanee, GA). Piper’s home field advantage didn’t help much as they lost with a score of 34-6.

Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, FL) lost to the Archbishop Mavericks (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 42-35. Despite the loss, Cardinal Gibbons quarterback Jayden Torres threw for 269 yards with 4 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 62 yards on just 7 carries. 

The final game of the night featured the Bolles Bulldogs and the Monarch Knights (Coconut Creek, FL).The Bulldogs dominated the Knights 34-15. The Knights could not stop the Bulldogs’ offense highlighted by Bolles running back Xander Edwards ‘28 who rushed for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Jayden Weatherly ‘26 also had a good game on the ground rushing for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

While the Bulldogs dominated in the run game, they also struck through the passing game. Clemson commit Naeem “The Dream” Burroughs ‘26 hauled in 3 receptions for 91 yards. These 3 receptions included a 58-yard highlight reel touchdown where he made multiple defenders miss. Burroughs also played on the defensive side of the ball, making a key interception in the 2nd quarter. Defensively, the Bulldogs put immense pressure on the Monarch offense, forcing hurried throws and many turnovers.

The next day of the showcase, the Corner Canyon Chargers (Draper, UT) played  the West Broward Bobcats (Pembroke Pines, FL). The Chargers were winners in this contest defeating the Bobcats 38-13. The Chargers came into this game as a heavy favorite because they were ranked #1 in Utah, while West Broward was ranked #123 in Florida.

The American Heritage Patriots (Plantation, FL) took on St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, PA). In the middle of the 3rd Quarter, the Patriots were looking at a 28-point deficit. The Patriots rallied in the 2nd half. With 55 seconds remaining in the game, Patriots kicker Kade Bailey kicked a 40-yard field goal to complete the comeback with a final score of 31-28.

The Dillard Panthers (Fort Lauderdale, FL) enjoyed home field advantage vs. the Dr. Phillips Panthers (Orlando, FL). Dillard did not disappoint the home crowd as they blew out their opponent with a final score of 39-0. 

The #1 ranked team in the nation and the defending national champions, Mater Dei Monarchs (Santa Ana, CA) took on the #10 ranked St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (Fort Lauderdale, FL). The Monarchs dominated in the first half with a score of 26-3. However, Mater Dei fans watched their team collapse in the 2nd half while the Raiders scored 20 unanswered points. After 2 touchdowns by the Raiders, and Mater Dei’s 15th penalty of the night, the Raiders cut the deficit to just three points. Unfortunately for the Raiders, their comeback was cut short when Mater Dei picked up a key first down with a little over a minute left in the game, winning the game with a final score of 26-23.

The Broward County National High School Football Showcase finale was between #5 ranked St Frances Academy Panthers (Baltimore, MD) and #7 ranked Chaminade-Madonna Lions (Hollywood, FL). The Panthers showed the nation why they are a top five team, defeating the Lions 42-13. The Panthers relied on a dominant run game finishing the game with 320 rushing yards. 

These are the final scores from the showcase:

Peachtree Ridge Lions 34

Piper Bengals 6

Archbishop Mavericks 42

Cardinal Gibbons 35

Corner Canyon Chargers 38

West Broward Bobcats 13

American Heritage Patriots 31 

St. Joseph’s Prep 28

Dillard Panthers 39

Dr. Phillips Panthers 0

#1 Mater Dei Monarchs 26

#10 St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders 23

#5 St Frances Academy Panthers 42  

#7 Chaminade-Madonna Lions 13

Bolles Bulldogs 34 

Monarch Knights: 15

The Bolles Bulldogs are off to a great start after their “South Florida Takeover” win. After the win vs Monarch, Bolles is part of the top 100 teams in the nation. The Bulldogs will have their first home game this Friday (8/29) vs Trinity Christian. Be sure to come out and support the Dogs as they seek their 12th State Championship!