Sports Opinion: A Look Back At High School Football’s 2015 Season

  Looking back at the 2015 high school football season is something I like to do, in order to see where each team went right and wrong along the way.

  This season saw several teams go from pretenders to contenders, while others went from contenders to pretenders.

  Without further ado, here is a look back at this year’s teams and whether they surprised, disappointed, or performed to their pre-season predictions.

Miami Community Charter

Verdict: Improved

  2015 was both kind and cruel to the Lions.

  The best move the program made in their second year was to make the move to the Florida Independent Football Conference (FIFC).

  Being honest with themselves, the Lions knew they were in no way ready for FHSAA District play, but an independent conference was the perfect starting place for the program to begin, giving the team something to grow into while helping set goals.

  MCCS picked up several wins over the season, and showed great promise in a few of their losses.

  One game that sticks out that perfectly summed up their season was their early matchup against Somerset Silver Palms. Despite playing hard with the Stallions in the first half, the Lions showed their weaknesses in the second half.

  Players tired due to lack of conditioning, and their passion was questioned when several players appeared annoyed with coaching decisions and lack of playing time.

  If the Lions can become a cohesive unit and find their drive as both individuals and as a team, and dedicate themselves in the weight room as well as on the practice field, this small school in Florida City could become a surprise program in 2016, perhaps even competing for the FIFC title.

South Dade

Verdict: Improved, But Disappointed

  After an off-year in 2014, the Buccaneers looked stacked and ready for another state title run in 2015.

  However, unlike their 8A championship season in 2013 where everything fell their way in the standings and with injuries, the Bucs were on the opposite side.

  The positives this year were plentiful.

   A dominant victory over Homestead earned the Bucs the right to hold on to the South Dade News Leader Centennial Cup for another year.

  There were also strong victories over quality teams en route to another stellar season that saw the Bucs claim the District 16-8A title in a three-way playoff with Southridge and Killian.

On the downside of things, the Bucs still couldn’t solve Killian as the Cougars handed them their only loss in district play.

  Next season could be a make or break year for the Bucs’ future.

Keys Gate

Verdict: Currently In Freefall

  The Knights are a team that started with great promise, and instead showed great potential for disaster.

  Without a doubt, Keys Gate made the right move by opting into a district.

  However, when the Knights lost in a 9-0 result to Somerset Silver Palms, their season was officially done.

  Head coach Roger Morgan is gone, having left to start yet another football program elsewhere in South Dade, and a good possibility is that several players will follow him.

  The talent of Keys Gate’s players was undoubtedly high, especially with Angelo Gonzalez’s play that earned him an invite to the US Army All America combine.

  With the right hire for head coach, Keys Gate could return to the program full of promise that they were just a few years ago.

Homestead

Verdict: Despite Rumors, Still There

  The Broncos are still playing football folks.

  If there was one wish I could make come true, it would be the endless questioning I get at every game I go to as to whether or not the Homestead program was shutting down.

  Even after the team was playing on the field, fans asked me if they were going away.

  No, they aren’t.

  Now that we have that cleared away, lets look at the good…all five seconds of it.

  The Broncos somehow managed to find themselves back in District 16-8A, renewing old rivalries as now more meaningful than a simple game for bragging rights.

  In addition, Homestead showed improvement with their young players.

  The bad: almost every game this season that was a loss was a blowout.

  In addition, head coach Larry Coffey announced his retirement to his players after their season-finale loss to Keys Gate.

  Should the Broncos find the right fit at head coach (and I know Homestead’s Athletic Director Nick Newbury will not rush his decision), the program seems primed to slowly rebuild itself back to their former glory.

Westminster Christian

Verdict: Disappointing

  The Westminster Christian football team looked like it had the talent to go far once again, despite losing two of the best players to ever come through the program to graduation last year.

  And while many of their wins were indeed big blowouts, the Warriors bowed out of the playoffs early on, making an early exit when many expected at least a berth to the regional finals.

  With their season, the Warriors performed well.

  Their young players also showed their potential, setting the program up for another year of winning.

  But overall, the Westminster team were expected to go far into the playoffs, and that didn’t happen.

  Thankfully, head coach Sedrick Irvin looks to be there to stay for a long time, and his leadership is set up to help his athletes blossom.

Coral Shores

Verdict: Shockingly Disappointing

  Of all the results for football in 2015, CoralShores’ season is the one that hit me the hardest.

  Yes, the Hurricanes were without the two best players to ever have stepped on the field after the Jacobsen twins graduated last season, and yes there had been other senior talented who had headed off to college.

  But the hype of talented quarterback Fralon Warren’s arrival and the emergence of the defensive talent that CoralShores had  seemed to spell yet another good year for the Upper Keys squad.

  However, fate had different plans as the Canes mustered just one victory over the entire season.

  I can only hope that head coach Ed Holly doesn’t let his seemingly endless enthusiasm for his program wane.

  CoralShores will be back thanks to Warren and a deep pool of growing youth that will be ready for the 2016 season.

Southridge

Verdict: Improved

While half of the high school football insider community lauded the hire of Billy Rolle at Southridge, the other half complained about the hire being based on long lost ability to coach.

  Alas, the Spartans’ performance over the season and its advancement to the second round of the playoffs proved that any doubt in Rolle’s ability was misplaced.

  Southridge is headed in an upward direction, finishing second in the district standings and dispatching with a tough Belen squad on the road in the opening round of the playoffs.

  The downside to their season would be their undeniable inability to hang with the talent of South Dade.

  Southridge was dominated in their regular season game, one which was heralded as a potential clash of the titans in District 16-8A.

  The coming season should be on that sees the Spartans reach their peak with relative ease should everything stay on course.

Palmer Trinity

Verdict: MUCH Improved

  Just two seasons removed from a one-win season (of which their only win was a forfeit victory), the Palmer Trinity Falcons are now sitting as FIFC Champions after a thrilling victory over Hillel.

  Their season was highlighted by a SportsCenter-worthy ending that saw a Michigan vs MichiganState finish to the FIFC title game, and the Falcons finished their year at the top of the FIFC food chain.

  However, the Falcons were unable to claim the Battle of the Oar in their annual rivalry game with Ransom Everglades.

  Nonetheless, the toll of the victory bell rang early and often through the streets of PalmettoBay, a sign of things to come for the Falcons.

  Prime talent will be reaching their senior seasons next year, and should any year be the one for the Falcons to make the most noise, 2016 may be it.

  Head coach Rudy Fernandez put it best: “It’s been a long time since Palmer Trinity football was relevant.”

  That time has finally come.

Somerset Silver Palms

Verdict: Improved…Slightly

  The Stallions picked up big wins in 2015, namely their toppling of Keys Gate.

  However, their season was also one that saw them fall in the Academy Cup game against Everglades Prep.

  The Stallions also fell to the bottom of their district in their first season, outshined by the the likes of Chaminade-Madonna and Westminster Christian.

  However, with their growing presence in South Florida football, Somerset will likely be able to improve further next season.

  A potent passing game and ground attack shone through at times, thought rarely at the same time.

  Defense was also improved, and the Stallions will no doubt be ready for 2016’s schedule.

Coral Reef

Verdict: Heading Upward

  Coral Reef are destined for greatness once again.

  Having moved to District 15-8A, the Barracudas are now with talent at their level that has proved to be perfect in helping push them to be a better version of themselves.

  No longer mired in the depths of District 16-8A, Coral Reef was led to a strong finish thanks to head coach Javier Valdez.

  Despite missing the playoffs, Coral Reef were in the thick of the fight from the start, only being eliminated once the final game of the season was finished.

  Coral Reef has a crop of talent that is getting serious looks from recruiters, and the coming year will for sure be one that will prove whether the Cudas are contenders or pretenders.

Everglades Prep

Verdict: Upward Bound

  The game that showcased the improvement the Panthers experienced this year was their season opener with Keys Gate.

  After a near 50-point blowout last year, the Panthers made it a much closer contest this time around.

  In addition, Everglades Prep hung some major point blowouts on a few teams this year, showing their offense is primed and ready to go.

  The emergence of Kavon Holmes is one that was not expected by outsiders, but something the team can lead on for future success.

  Head coach Ryan Nani’s biggest challenge will now be keeping Holmes at the school as he is surely being sought after by bigger programs.

  Traveling on the road to schools in Central Florida is something the Panthers looked forward to, and their trip to Admiral Faragut was a good one for the program, even with their loss.

  The Panthers are where Keys Gate was a few years ago.

  The potential exists to be strong for years to come, but there is just as much of a chance for the team to fall back downward once again.