The game plan had been to play it safe.

Rest starters and keep it somewhat conservative.

Deerfield Beach quarterback Donte Dotson had other ideas.

Dotson, who all season has starred for the Bucks, stood on the sidelines imploring coaches for the chance to play.

When it finally came, his dominating effort helped lift the Bucks to a 28-9 win over Boyd Anderson in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Dotson, a senior, entered the game in the second quarter and went on to score all four Deerfield Beach touchdowns, finishing with a game-high 209 yards on 12 carries.

"I was tired of standing on the sidelines," Dotson said. "I told coach [Adam Ratkevich] that I'd get him four [touchdowns]. For us, it's about momentum. We needed a win."

The Bucks, winners of the District 9-6A championship, will host Plantation next Friday in a regional quarterfinal.

Boyd Anderson, the District 14-5A runner-up will travel to West Boca.

Early on, it appeared Deerfield's decision to rest key players such as Dotson would be costly.

Boyd Anderson marched down the field on its opening possession and took a 6-0 lead when Harmon Brown caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Craig Weaver.

For the rest of the half, the two teams traded possessions and neither team was productive.

Early in the third, everything changed for Deerfield.

On the Bucks' first possession, Dotson scored on a 53-yard run that put Deerfield up 7-6 after the extra point.

Boyd Anderson (5-5) answered and regained the lead with a 24-yard field goal by Nicholes Bennett.

But early in the fourth, with the Bucks backed up against their end zone, Dotson split the Boyd Anderson defense and scrambled up the field on a 91-yard scoring run that put Deerfield ahead 14-9 with 11:34 left.

The Bucks (7-3) would not trail again.

Instead, Dotson would add touchdown runs of 1 and 26 yards to cap a 21-point quarter.

"[Dotson] is an incredible athlete and he had a great game," Boyd Anderson coach Mark James said. "We entered this game down a lot of players that we wanted to rest before the playoffs, but give Deerfield Beach credit. They played great."

While Dotson starred, the Bucks' defense did its part, holding its opponent to under 10 points for the second consecutive week.

Khambrel Garland led the unit with three interceptions, including one on Boyd Anderson's final drive.

"Our defense has been great," Ratkevich said. "We've gotten much more multiple and that carryover of preparing for St. Thomas, the nation's No. 1 team, has made us better."