Sunshine State 25: Preseason No. 24 – Palm Bay Heritage

Team: Heritage Panthers
Sunshine State 25 Preseason Ranking: No. 24
Head Coach: Mark Ainsley
2014 Record: 9-4

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Look Back On 2014

The Heritage Panthers over the last several years have developed a reputation of upsetting or at least surprising teams in the playoffs. Just ask Naples exactly happen last year when they were upset by the newest school still to this day in Brevard County.

The Panthers, managed to reach the regional finals giving it all they could to Miami Central before falling to the eventual Class 6A State Champions last year.

Players To Watch

QB Daeshawn Mills, Sr.; ATH Josh Gaines, Sr.; MLB Davonte Bartley, Sr.; OL/DL Shamar Davis, Sr.; DE Trey Reid, Sr.; DE Darrian Abney, Sr.; LB Kentrell Smith, Sr.; OL Kyle Caine, Sr.; RB Lasedrick King, Jr.; LB Matt Allaire, Jr.; FS/WR Nick Barber, Jr.; OL Rasheed Simmon, So.

The Outlook

All three 1,000-plus yard rushers return for Heritage in Daeshawn Mills, Josh Gaines and Lasedrick King which collected up over 3,500 yards on the ground alone last season. Davonte Bartley and Kyle Caine are both back and will anchor the offensive line which according to Coach Ainsley, needs some improvement.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers will be solid with Trey Reid and Darrian Abney anchoring the defensive line while Kentrell Smith and Matt Allaire will be lining up again at the linebacker position.

And if you are worried about the schedule, throw it out the door. Coach Ainsley has put his Panthers team into another solid schedule that will include two state runner-ups from 2015, plus a few more game against worthy opponents that also reached the playoffs last season.

The District

No surprises for Heritage when it came to the new district alignments released by the FHSAA earlier in the year that kept the Panthers in District 6A-14. Gone are South Fork, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce Westwood as district opponents while Eau Gallie and Sebastian River drop in from Class 7A. The district will still offer it is own challenges with Jensen Beach and Okeechobee lurking around and trying to cause trouble. However, we so no reason that Heritage can’t be in contention for the district championship once again in 2015.

Three Games To Watch

Friday 9/4 vs. Bolles – How about a match up against the Class 4A State Runner-up and home to the winningest coach in Florida High School Football history in Corky Rogers? This is will be one of the best games, if not the best game for that week in the East Coast Region. Biggest question will be to see if Heritage can defend the brand of offense and defense that Bolles has been known for over two decades under Rogers? If Heritage can run the ball right at the Bolles defense, they could give an early season loss to the Bulldogs here.

Friday 9/25 at Osceola (Kissimmee) – The second of two games against a state runner-up from the 2014 season. The Kowboys will be returning a lot of players including a 1,000-yard plus rusher who has earned his own respect in Central Florida and around the state. They key thing for Heritage will be to stop the run game against Osceola. If the Panthers can do that, they will stand a chance to remain competitive in the game and possibly pull out a big victory right at the midpoint of the season.

Friday 10/23 vs. Sebastian River – Sebastian River might be the most improved team in District 6A-14 and this game could likely decide the districts two playoff spots. Sebastian River has several players who are catching attention with college recruiters and they will need to keep an eye on how those player progress during the season. If Heritage secures the victory here, there is no reason to doubt they will be the district champions once again.

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