District projections for Class 8A – Region III for the 2015 season.
District 8A-9
1. Wellington
2. Palm Beach Gardens
3. Palm Beach Central
4. Seminole Ridge
5. Jupiter
Comment: What happens when you get four teams capable of being in the playoffs? A traffic jam that is going to leave at least two sitting at home watching from afar instead. Wellington, has a big target on their back last season and should be the favorite in their district. Palm Beach Gardens, which has always been talented, but has had a hard time getting the talent to convert games into wins should at least compete for the district championship early. However Palm Beach Central and Seminole Ridge will try to have a say in this. Jupiter won’t be in contention just yet though as they try to rebuild under new head coach, Bill Powers.
District 8A-10
1. Atlantic (Delray Beach)
2. Park Vista
3. Santaluces
4. Lake Worth
5. Boca Raton
6. John I. Leonard
7. Spanish River
Comment: Atlantic is the team that has the biggest target on its back at the moment in this district. After playing the last few seasons in Class 7A, the Eagles are back in the highest class with a lot of talent surrounding it. We won’t forget about Park Vista here as they have been known to challenge, but the last couple of years have been off in terms of gaining the number of wins possible. Santalcues, Lake Worth and Boca Raton are all worthy contenders to make a push for the second playoff spot, but must be ready to able to win the majority of the district games. John I. Leonard and Spanish River will hang near the bottom, but a surprising win or two by these teams can certainly impact how the district look at the end of the season.
District 8A-11
1. Deerfield Beach
2. Douglas
3. Piper
4. Monarch
5. Coral Springs
6. Taravella
Comment: We are not crazy to think that a new attitude and new coaching staff as well as some great athletes can turn thing around for a Deerfield Beach program this season that slipped last season. That attitude has gotten things going up for the Bucks and we could see them easily coming out on top. Douglas is another team that has risen up under head coach “Peanut” May and the Eagles might just be on the edge of a big season themselves. Coral Springs who surprised everyone last season in reaching the playoffs should be in the hunt, while Monarch appears they could be down after a coaching change this offseason. Taravella and Piper will round out the back end of the district.
UPDATE: After learning some new information, we have made some shifts in our initial projections. However, we still feel pretty confident about the top two teams.
District 8A-12
1. Flanagan
2. Miramar
3. Cypress Bay
4. Plantation
5. Everglades
6. South Plantation
7. Western
Comment: This is another district where there are at least four to five teams that are playoff worthy. Flanagan will be the clear leader for the district championship this year after winning the first district title in school history last season. Miramar should be able to bounce back with a new coaching staff in place and being able to keep some solid athletes at the school. Cypress Bay, Plantation and Everglades will all be looking for away to at least take Miramar down and keep them out of the playoffs for a second consecutive season. South Plantation and Western will have a lot of work to do to be able to be in contention for a playoff spot at the end of the season.
Projected Regional Quarterfinal Matchups (Round 1)
Park Vista (R10) vs. Wellington (W9)
Palm Beach Gardens (R9) vs. Atlantic (W10)
Miramar (R12) vs. Deerfield Beach (W11)
Douglas (R11) vs. Flanagan (W12)
Projected Regional Semifinal Matchups (Round 2)
Wellington vs. Atlantic
Miramar vs. Flanagan
Projected Regional Final Matchup (Round 3)
Atlantic vs. Flanagan
State Semifinalist
Flanagan
