LANTANA — No Hector Clavijo. No problem.
In his first game as Santaluces head coach, Samuel Putmon led the Chiefs to a 38-0 season-opening thumping of visiting rival Boynton Beach on Aug. 21.
As the coach gave his postgame speech on the Santaluces field, two players snuck behind Putmon and doused him with a bucket of yellow Gatorade and ice as the team roared joyously.
“It did surprise me,” said Putmon, who had served four years as Santaluces’ defensive coordinator. “It’s the way the kids are showing their appreciation for me coaching them and getting our first win. I really appreciate it.”
Clavijo, the successful Florida high school head coach coach who brought the Chiefs program back to life, was suspended for one year by the FHSAA in May due to NIL violations.
But nothing changed against the rival Tigers. Santaluces beat Boynton Beach for the fifth straight time.
Santaluces didn’t look so sharp in its preseason loss to Pahokee but put together a terrific final three quarters Friday.
“It felt great,” quarterback Jaxson Mariconi said. “We played a lot more as a team instead of as individuals. Every game against them is going to be chippy, but we had a mindset of dominating and we were the better team.”
As for the change at the top, Mariconi said, “Coach P is doing a great job. I can’t complain. He’s doing it for the kids and he’s doing it for the program.”
Santaluces, after a wayward start, racked up 24 points in the final 2:25 of the first half to end any suspense.
Sophomore receiver Brett Boston scored three touchdowns, including two punt returns and a catch-and-run score.
“I want to thank the team for getting me great blocks,” Boston said. “Those guys we’ve been playing against since we were little, but it’s all love, family. But when we compete, we got to win.”
Clavijo is not working at the school and is appealing the decision. Sources said he watched the game via livestream.
“It brought us closer as a family,” Boston said. “We’ve been together as kids and we banded together. (Clavijo) is going through a hard process right now. We are praying for him to come back. We need him.”
The floodgates opened after Boston got to the outside and raced in for a 32-yard punt return to finally put Santaluces on the board at 7-0 with 2:25 left in the second quarter.
Thirty seconds later, the Chiefs notched their second touchdown. Senior kicker Cristian Clavijo recovered his own onside kick in Boynton Beach territory to set up the second score.
Cristian Clavijo has made a habit of recovering his own onside kicks, averaging roughly two successful recoveries per season.
“We game-planned for it,” Clavijo said. “It’s our best way of getting the ball back.”
Clavijo’s strong leg has made him a five-star recruit with Division I football in his future. He is often mistaken for Hector Clavijo’s son because of the age difference, but he is actually his much younger brother. The two are 20 years apart.
“It’s really tough not making my calls to him,” Cristian Clavijo said. “Not seeing him every day. He’s not even allowed at the game, which I think is beyond unfair. It’s tough, but we’re getting through it. It’s a really good group he built here at Santaluces.”
After Clavijo recovered his onside kick, star running back Kelsey Gerald did the rest. Gerald pounded it 18 yards to the 20-yard line and drew a horse-collar penalty that placed the ball at the 10.
On the next play, Gerald got outside to the left with an extended block by Boston and scampered in for the score with 1:56 left in the half.
“I’m trying to keep things as normal as possible and keep everyone working hard,” Putmon said. “The football is the easy part. It’s getting used to the administrative side of things.”
It was a late-arriving crowd, but by halftime the stands were jam-packed as a fiery orange sunset hovered over the field.
But it was only dark for Boynton Beach, which couldn’t move the ball with its still-green sophomore quarterback, Fernando Rhames, who was erratic with his throws and often under pressure.
The Tigers entered the season after significant roster turnover, including the departure of projected starting quarterback Kurt Cherry and three other players who transferred to Park Vista shortly before training camp.
Coach Tre Smith, who was a teammate of Lamar Jackson, declined comment after the shutout.
Santaluces boasts a highly touted defense and will face a tougher test next week at Martin County. The defensive standouts Friday were Miami commit Jayvon Dawson and edge rusher Khailib Savery.
“We were all flying around, but those two are the core of the defense,” Putmon said. “When they play well, we have a good chance of the defense playing well.”
Dawson was thrilled at holding Boynton Beach out of the red zone. The Tigers never advanced beyond the 30-yard line.
“We lacked discipline in the Pahokee preseason game, but we fixed it,” Dawson said. “The assignments weren’t there, but today we got it right and you can see the scoreboard right now.”
In addition, Smith’s squad had special teams issues all night, particularly with the long snapper.
At 13-0, on a fourth-down play, the snap went over the quarterback’s head as the Tigers turned it over on downs.
Santaluces scored again on a 28-yard catch by Jarrold Sine that capped a 60-yard drive with 21 seconds left.
It was too soon to break out the barbecue ribs, though, as the home team scored again. Clavijo’s pooch kick was not fielded and Santaluces recovered at the Tigers’ 27. Clavijo added a 25-yard field goal in the final seconds to make it 24-0 at intermission.
It actually could have been worse. Boynton Beach saw a snap go over the head of punter Dady Delpe, and he was sacked back at the 30. But the Tigers got it right back on an interception by Wislot Dufren.
Midway through the third quarter, another high snap cost Boynton Beach dearly. Ja’Khari Williams came in as punter but couldn’t handle the snap and was sacked at the 30.
On the first play after the turnover, Boston scored on a 30-yard catch-and-run to extend the lead to 31-0 six minutes into the second half.
For good measure, Boston scored his final touchdown on a 67-yard punt return for a 38-0 lead with 2:24 left, triggering a running clock.
“We have weapons on both sides of the ball,” Boston said. “Everyone is good in their own way and we are coming together as a puzzle.”
Clavijo was known for taking the Chiefs on one major road trip each season. The Chiefs have visited Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee. There will be none of that in 2026, though Santaluces will travel to Sarasota to face Riverview.
Winning in Florida will have to do.
“We got the first win out of the way,” a soaked Putmon said. “We got to stack more and more.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Santaluces football blanks Boynton Beach in interim coach’s debut
Reporting by Marc Berman, Special to The Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Marc Berman, Special to The Post | USA TODAY Network
