Winning ugly. But winning.

The Olympic Heights football team used two Connor Hone to Jack Coulson touchdown passes to beat West Boca 13-3 on Friday, Sept. 14, on the Bulls’ home field.

What many thought would be a “get well” game for the Lions after being man-handled by Cardinal Newman a week earlier – the Palm Beach Post predicted a 48-0 win for OH – turned into a 48-minute struggle as numerous penalties stymied the Lions both on offense and defense.

Lion head coach Baz Alfred estimated that his team racked up at least 100-yards in penalties over the course of the game, most of the pre-snap and post-whistle variety. The penalties “really hurt us,” Alfred told The Torch.

Both teams seemed able to move the ball at will between the 20-yard lines, but the offenses would stall in the red zone time and time again. Both the Lions and the Bulls each came up empty twice after getting inside each other’s 5-yard line.

The Bulls got out to an early 3-0 lead, but the first Hone to Coulson strike from 10-yards out staked the Lions to a 6-3 halftime lead. Most of the second half saw both teams putting together threatening drives only to come up short due to turnovers, penalties, or defenses toughening up in the red zone.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hone and Coulson hooked up on their second touchdown pass on a fourth and goal play from 5-yards out to seal the win and run the Lions record to 3-1 on the season

Two of those wins – the season-opening 7-6 win over Boynton Beach and Friday’s win over West Boca – while wins nevertheless, have not left Alfred pleased with his team’s performance. The other win was a 42-7 thrashing of Spanish River.

The Lions have a bye week ahead of them, allowing the coaches and players extra time to prepare for a showdown with perennial power house Dwyer on Sept. 28 when the Panthers will come into Corey Lewis Stadium seeking revenge for last year’s 25-22 loss to OH.