The 2017 high school football season started Thursday with the first of more than two dozen Kickoff Classics across Palm Beach County.
With the regular season just a week away, Palm Beach Post writers Adam Lichtenstein and Jodie Wagner will count down some of the interesting things we’re looking at this season.
Today, we look at the most underrated teams in Palm Beach County.
Seminole Ridge hopes to break a four-year postseason drought this season in Class 8A. The Hawks return a handful of impact players. (2016 Post file photo)
5. Wellington: The Wolverines and their high-powered offense have had success in recent years, but they could be looking at a three- or four-way battle this season in District 9-8A. Both Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Central added a handful of playmakers in the offseason, while Seminole Ridge is a serious playoff contender. The Wolverines, however, have one of the area’s top juniors in athlete Mark-Antony Richards, a burly offensive line, an improving defense, and a new quarterback – senior Connor Rogers – who is expected to keep their vaunted passing game running smoothly. Hopes are high – again – at Wellington.
4. Olympic Heights: The Lions are out to prove that their 2016 season was no fluke. Olympic Heights won six games last year – more than they had in their previous three seasons combined – and finished fourth in District 13-7A, behind Dwyer and Palm Beach Lakes teams that went a combined 17-2 in the regular season, and a Royal Palm Beach team that had won the district two years before. The Panthers and Rams are playoff contenders again, but both lost a large number of seniors to graduation. The Lions, however, get the core group of their team back. Eight starters return on both offense and defense, including senior defensive ends Sebastian Bruno and Chris Dascher, senior tight end Shane Ellis and senior running back Reis Clark. All are expected to play key leadership roles.
3. King’s Academy: Pahokee was not the only Palm Beach County team to win a state championship game last year. The Lions went 11-0 and were the 2016 Southeastern Football Conference champions. This season, King’s Academy rejoins the FHSAA and has a chance to add to a state title to its trophy case. The Lions, who use a run-first offense, lost their top two running backs, but return junior quarterback Justin Wake, who accounted for 27 touchdowns last year, and top receiver Ryan Kingman, who brought in 30 catches for 650 yards and seven scores. The defense, which did lose some playmakers, was dominant last year, allowing only 79 points. If some of that can carry over to this year, King’s Academy can be a playoff contender.
2. Boynton Beach: Lost in the tumultuous offseason that saw former head coach Errick Lowe resign following recruiting accusations is the fact that the Tigers were a playoff team last season. Boynton ran into the buzzsaw that was Miami Northwestern in the first round, but the Tigers were a postseason team nonetheless. Boynton returns some talented players, like linebacker Abraham Beauplan and offensive lineman Bowd Solomon. It will still be a tough road back to the playoffs, with teams like Lauderdale Lakes-Boyd Anderson and Fort Lauderdale-Dillard in the district and only one assured postseason spot, but Boynton is not out of the running.
1. Seminole Ridge: District 9-8A has sent Wellington and Palm Beach Gardens to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The Hawks hope to change that this year. Seminole Ridge will have a new starter at quarterback and must fill some holes at other positions. But the Hawks have plenty of talent. Senior athlete Jeremiah Brown will play multiple positions on offense and defense, while second-year coach James Parson expects big things from senior wide receiver Justin Allie and sophomore running back Corey Polk, who already holds a UF offer. “We do want to make the playoffs,” Parson said earlier this summer. “It’s been too long.”
