Palm Beach football playoffs: Who are first-timers, dark horses, and trophy contenders?
South Florida football fans spent their Sunday morning one of two ways.
Watching the Miami Dolphins kick off in Germany, or seeing which local high school teams advanced to the 2023 postseason.
Those who chose to turn their focus to the FHSAA's bracket release show announcing contenders for this fall's state championship were in for a bit more fun.
14 Palm Beach County squads are starting over at 0-0, now on this season's run to Florida A&M's Fort Bragg Stadium, where trophy matchups will be held December 7 through 9.
Atlantic, Benjamin, Boca Raton, Cardinal Newman, Jupiter, King's, Pahokee, Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Gardens, Saint Andrew's, and Santaluces are back. Learn the new names in the mix and who to expect at the end of the road below.
New faces in this year's playoffs
The 2023 season has been one to remember for a handful of county programs, namely Somerset Canyons, Spanish River, and West Boca Raton.
Somerset Canyons coach Alex Gonzalez and Spanish River coach Ian Headley's teams have navigated their best seasons in program history.
Returning to the playoff for the first time since 2000, Headley's crew flipped from 1-9 to 7-3. after initially anticipating it'd compete alongside the likes of new state champion Oxbridge in the Sunshine State Athletic Association series in the offseason. Meanwhile in Boynton Beach, despite losing four-star receivers and defensive backs Waden Charles to Central and Denairius Gray to Chaminade-Madonna, the Cougars have proven they kept the talent to go the distance for a historic, first-ever postseason appearance in 2023.
Coach Dylan Potts is another figurehead shaking things up in South County, clear to see by West Boca's first playoff appearance since 2013 following a turnaround season last fall.
As for who's missing from this year's playoffs, 2022 qualifiers Boynton Beach, Dwyer, Inlet Grove, and Wellington saw their seasons cut short.
Is Jupiter the dark horse for Class 4M?
Bouncing back to playoffs and the 2023 season as a whole looking better than ever, the Warriors want a fairytale ending this fall ‒ and they could very well have it.
Palm Beach Central graduated quite the number of pieces key to its state semifinalist run last year, including a 46-7 first-round win over a Jupiter team that finished 5-5. With a breakout senior campaign for quarterback-safety combo Luke Douglas, the Warriors are heading into this postseason as district champions. The higher-seeded district champion compared to quarterfinal opponent Boca Raton, Jupiter will also be hosting its first-ever playoff, which greatly improves the chances of a rematch against the Broncos in semifinals.
On the other side of the region, Gardens' senior-commanded crew is gunning for a repeat run to region finals, set for its first game with returning contender Santaluces since 2006 in region quarterfinals. In their last meeting, the Gators beat the Chiefs 26-13 in the regular season.
Based on Gardens' ability to upset Monarch to see Central in the region championship last year, there's not enough reason to believe the team couldn't execute another shocking string of wins to get there again, whether they face the Broncos or see a district title rematch with Jupiter. That being said, the Warriors have already proven they can beat the Gators − and handily ‒ with a 42-20 scoreboard in Week 10.
Will Bucs bounce back to stay alive at Newman?
Denied a district championship two years in a row, Benjamin is hoping it can stop a series drought with Cardinal Newman once and for all when region semifinals arrive in two weeks.
The Bucs' last win over Newman came during the regular season in 2021, but they've taken three losses to the Crusaders since. The question now lies in whether Benjamin's seniors decide that region semifinals is their last game in the orange.
A three-point deficit in this year's district title matchup suggests Georgia running back commit Chauncey Bowens, Wake Forest safety commit Jacob Cosby-Mosley, and friends may very well say no to Newman. If Newman receiver-defensive back combo Josh Philostin, a recent commit to Indiana, is still out with a shoulder injury sustained at Central last Friday, flipping the script could be more possible.
That being said, as much as Benjamin has to prove against Newman, the Crusaders have that much more to prove against No. 2 overall Chaminade-Madonna, who has stunted their postseason hopes since 2021.
Trophy matchup in store for Atlantic
Another Palm Beach County team dealt the annual present of a near-unstoppable powerhouse is up for a deeper run in 2023.
The FHSAA algorithm aligned for Atlantic to meet St. Thomas Aquinas in region semifinals last fall, but this season, the Eagles avoided a second-round trip to Fort Lauderdale should they down West Boca as expected in quarterfinals. As daunting as defending 3M state champ St. Thomas Aquinas is, this year's potential faceoff happening in region finals could mean a new outcome for Atlantic, who lost to the Raiders in quarterfinals in 2021 and semis in 2022.
There's a big difference in knowing you're just one win away from the final four versus two or three. However, a weaker strength of schedule compared to Aquinas', chockful of highly-ranked postseason players, could see the Eagles fall victim once again. Common opponent Monarch took a contested 33-32 loss to Atlantic and a 35-19 defeat from Aquinas.
Fortunately, the Eagles have ironed out a majority of the wrinkles that saw a shaky first half of the season, and the Raiders could be in for a shock at November's end.
Can St. Andrew's pass Calvary Christian hump for deep 2M run?
The tables have turned for the Scots.
In 2022, it was St. Andrew's who took the sixth-seed for a trip to No. 3 Calvary Christian. This year, a district championship for St. Andrew's, ranked No. 3, means hosting duties for the Eagles, seeded sixth.
The Scots will remember a 49-34 loss to Calvary in 2022 as they prepare for next Friday's revenge game, which could be the ticket for one of the team's deepest postseason runs yet.
9-1 in 2023 on a six game win-streak, if the terrorizing trifecta of quarterback Dylan Mayers, two-way stud Teddy Hoffman, and special teams star Jackson Parke continues to have its way, the Scots can expect a semifinal trip to Cardinal Gibbons. This year isn't a bad one to get the three-time state champs in the second round. Considering three-time state champ Gibbons hasn't exactly been in the trophy-winning form its taken for seasons past, falling 48-7 to American Heritage-Plantation compared to last year's 31-20 region final defeat, it could finally be the one where South Florida sees St. Andrew's jump the Chiefs.
Playoff schedule
Region quarterfinals for classes 1R, along with 2M through 4M will take place on November 10.
Qualifying teams in all divisions will appear in region semifinals on November 17.
Class 1R - Region 4
No. 5 Dixie County at No. 4 Pahokee
If the Blue Devils advance, they'll travel to No. 1 Williston for semifinals.
Class 1M - Region 3
No. 3 Benjamin at No. 2 Cardinal Newman
The winner of Benjamin-Newman will move on to finals against a virtually guaranteed Chaminade-Madonna, the division's defending state champ.
Class 2M - Region 3
No. 5 Somerset Canyons at No. 4 King's Academy
The Lions or the Cougars will almost certainly meet American Heritage-Plantation in semifinals, where the Patriots are seeking to punch the ticket to claim their third straight region championship.
No. 6 Calvary Christian at No. 3 St. Andrew's
The second-round of region play is bound to see a likely matchup between the Scots and No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons, which will face Heritage in finals barring an early upset by North Broward, King's, or Somerset.
Class 3M - Region 3
No. 7 West Boca Raton at No. 2 Atlantic
Atlantic will look to keep its postseason streak going with what it hopes to be a region quarterfinal win over West Boca before meeting Coconut Creek or Piper in round two.
Class 4M ‒ Region 3
No. 5 Palm Beach Gardens at No. 4 Santaluces
Should the Gators pull off a surprise against Santaluces, Gardens could be in for a region semifinal rematch with region top-seed Monarch, who will take on Douglas in quarterfinals.
No. 7 Spanish River at No. 2 Palm Beach Central
As River looks to keep its historic season rolling, the Broncos, vying for a return to the 4M final four, plan to get back on track in round one after a season finale loss to Cardinal Newman.
No. 6 Boca Raton at No. 3 Jupiter
A Central team scorned often does its best work, so it'll likely be the Broncos that Boca Raton or Jupiter faces in region semifinals. Local football fans can look forward to a seedy battle in round two with season-long underdogs Boca Raton and Jupiter out to make a statement.
Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach football playoffs: First-timers, dark horses, and title contenders in 2023
