Here are the 2015 Preseason Palm Beaches Regional Rankings from FloridaHSFootball.com.
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1. Delray American Heritage Stallions
2014 Record: 11-2
Why: Usually one of the most talented teams in Class 3A, the American Heritage Stallions usually don’t fall short on expectations. The schedule is locked and loaded for the Stallions and they should easily contend for their district championship in District 3A-7. Oxbridge Academy will put a challenge to slow things down on the Stallions as the team transitions
2. Dwyer Panthers
2014 Record: 7-3
Why: After missing the playoffs for the first time since 1999, the Panthers look poised to bounce back after getting a spring win over Vero Beach. The Panthers have a lot riding for them as the district shrinks, but the competition will still be there in the district with Royal Palm Beach and West Boca Raton being threats again to Dwyer getting a playoff spot in District 7A-13.
3. Oxbridge Academy Thunderwolves
2014 Record: 10-1
Why: Oxbridge moves up into district play for the first time and will be a highly competitive team that won the Gold Coast Football Conference Championship last season. The Thunderwolves who are lead by a state championship coach in Doug Socha, will have a bit of talent surrounding the team, but can they make noise this year when it matters the most?
4. Delray Beach Atlantic Eagles
2014 Record: 9-3
Why: After reaching the playoffs without having to go through a potential tiebreaker, Atlantic moves up from Class 7A to Class 8A this season. The Eagles will be the favorite in their new district of District 8A-10 and has talent that should be able to help possibly make a deep playoff run as no other teams in the district seem to be close to the level of things like the Eagles are.
5. Glades Central Raiders
2014 Record: 9-3
Why: Rick Casko came back to Glades Central last year for his second stint and things are point up for the Raiders. However, a big problem is only returning four starters from last year’s regional finalist team, so that could be a problem depending on how things start of the season. District 4A-7 now adds Clewiston to the mix and that means the district will be decided among these two programs this season.
6. Wellington Wolverines
2014 Record: 11-2
Why: The Wolverines reached the regional finals for the first time in school history last year before falling to Flanagan. As such they were one of the most surprising teams across the entire state. There is some talent back, but replacing a quarterback in Shannon Patrick will be a tall task. With the Wolverines in District 8A-9, they will contend with Palm Beach Gardens, Seminole Ridge and Palm Beach Central for two playoff spots.
7. Royal Palm Beach Wildcats
2014 Record: 11-2
Why: Royal Palm Beach was able to escape with a district championship last season after Dwyer lost two district games. The Wildcats, however, will still have to face Dwyer and West Boca Raton in District 7A-13, a challenge that can either be good or bad. Depending on how the new starters mesh will determine how far the Wildcats will go this season.
8. Pahokee Blue Devils
2014 Record: 5-5
Why: Alphonso Smith takes over his alma mater and he is taking over just at the right time. The once-proud state championship winning Blue Devils have been in a funk the last fiver years that they have been unable to snap. A move down to the more appropriate Class 1A rural league might be the answer the Blue Devils are looking for. The district will stretch across over 240 miles as they will be in District 1A-8 with teams like Crescent City, Fort Meade and Frostproof. Pahokee will have 13 starters back, so the move to Class 1A will be to their liking while also challenging themselves in playing bigger teams in Palm Beach County.
9. Palm Beach Gardens Gators
2014 Record: 6-6
Why: The thing for the Palm Beach Gardens Gators is being able to compete with the talent you have and is something they necessarily did last season as they let a surprising Wellington team take the district from them. The team does have talent, but will they need to show more effort in the win column befoe we feel comfortable to placing the Gators higher in the rankings.
10. West Boca Raton Bulls
2014 Record: 7-3
Why: The Bulls finished 7-3 last year and just outside the playoffs in what is a tough District 7A-13. The Bulls once again this season should be able to compete for a playoff spot and with Atlantic now moved up to Class 8A, this should help a lot. However, West Boca Raton will still find Dwyer and Royal Palm Beach in the way and will need to play very well in order to get a playoff spot.
