Just like that, the Palm Beach County high school football regular season is halfway over.
The 2026 season has already delivered state-title contenders, stunning turnarounds and unforgettable moments.
From a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight to one of Florida's most remarkable program rebuilds, here's a look at 15 observations from the first half of the season.
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1. Despite Saturday's narrow loss to Washington D.C. St. John's, West Boca Raton (3-1) looks like a true Open Division contender and perhaps the best public school team in Florida. At some point such a sentence will cease to amaze me, but it's still hard not to think of the Bulls' 1-9 finish just five years ago. The program's transformation after significant
investment into its facilities has attracted the best football talent from around South Florida.
2. Speaking of hard-to-believe sentences: Could John I. Leonard (4-0) go undefeated? The Lancers, 1-29 over the last three years and without a winning season since 2005, are still unbeaten after winning at Marathon in the Florida Keys on Friday. I know, I know. They're not exactly playing the cream of Florida's crop and the Lancers can't qualify for the postseason as an FHSAA independent, but you still have to beat the teams that are in front of you, something that is rarely a given in Greenacres. And dare I say it, there are a lot of winnable games left on their schedule.
3. Pahokee (3-1) has endured a bit of a rollercoaster this fall with emotional highs, such as Corian Davis' 75-yard game-winning touchdown as time expired against Royal Palm Beach, and painful lows, such as the death of program legend Alphonso Smith. Overall, though, it has been impressive to see Carlos Lammons Jr.'s squad continue to win games, particularly with eighth grader Braylon Peterson at quarterback. There are certainly bigger tests ahead, but also plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Pahokee's future.
4. Cardinal Newman (4-1) may have lost its five-year winning streak against Palm Beach County foes, but the Crusaders can hardly be considered anything less than a success this season. Newman has navigated roster turnover at quarterback, running back, linebacker and more with relative ease, blowing out two quality programs and showing grit in a 47-46 at Cardinal Mooney. We should expect nothing less from a Jack Daniels-coached team. After a bye week, the Crusaders return in October with back-to-back juicy matchups against Atlantic and Chaminade-Madonna, a rematch of last year's Class 1A state final.
5. Pick against Jupiter (4-0) at your own risk. Despite compiling a 29-5 record over the last three years, the Warriors are never short of doubters. The departure of head coach Jason Kradman made some of the doubts compelling, but new coach Josh Brooks and his crew showed the program still has its winning DNA in a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against Palm Beach Lakes last Thursday. Jupiter's Palm Beach-centric schedule of public school peers may not rack up strength of schedule points, but there's something to be said for the way the Warriors have dominated Military Trail the last few years.
5. What should one make of Atlantic (3-1) through four games? The Eagles have beaten some solid teams (Spanish River, Blanche Ely), won a tricky one in the Muck (Pahokee) and lost one you might expect (Vero Beach). The Atlantic offense, with Royal Palm Beach transfer Max Griner and St. John Paul II transfer Nicholas Pouncey seeing time at quarterback, hasn't found a rhythm yet and the schedule is now conspiring against the Eagles. After last week's rainout, Atlantic will have a full 21 days off ahead of a clash with Cardinal Newman. It's a game the Eagles surely want to show well in given the prominent Atlantic transfers on Newman's roster.
6. Palm Beach Central (4-0) may be the only undefeated team in Palm Beach County capable of making its coach miserable every Friday night. One of my favorite running themes of the 2026 season has been head coach Kevin Thompson's weekly postgame exasperation with the mistakes made by his youthful Broncos. Palm Beach Central has committed too many penalties, turned the ball over too often and repeatedly made life harder than necessary. Yet they keep winning and may be favored in the rest of their games. Style points don't matter if you're winning.
7. The multi-year restoration of Palm Beach Lakes (3-1) under head coach Turmarian Moreland appears to be finally bearing fruit, even if last week's loss to Jupiter certainly stung. Quarterback Jordan Johnson, a Palm Beach Gardens transfer, combined with playmakers like Ryan Ferdinand and Turmarian Moreland Jr. to average 53 points in the first two games of the year. The Rams then showed they could win low-scoring games, too, edging district rival Santaluces in a key public school clash.
8. The Rams should take some solace from the lowlight of last week's 15-14 loss to Jupiter. Leading 14-0 in the fourth quarter, a Lakes defensive player returned a fumble recovery more than 50 yards into his own end zone for a safety, kickstarting the Jupiter comeback. He is far from the first football player to make such an error. In the 1929 Rose Bowl, California's Roy Riegels famously returned a fumble recovery 69 yards towards his own end zone, contributing to a Golden Bears loss. In 1964, Minnesota Vikings star Jim Marshall returned a fumble into his own end zone for a safety. Both players managed to learn to accept the mistake and grow from it. "I gained true understanding for life from the Rose Bowl mistake" Riegels later told a Rose Bowl historian. "I learned you can bounce back from misfortune and view it as just something adverse that happened to you."
9. Remember when Claude predicted Wellington (3-1) would reach a region final? That still feels ambitious. What no longer feels ambitious is saying the Wolverines have made real progress under head coach Pete Walker. Wellington is playing good defense, allowing just more than 10 points per game this year, and gave Palm Beach Central its most competitive rivalry game since 2021. The Wolverines' core of sophomores, led by quarterback Makhi Price and receiver Tarrens Catul, may be onto something special if they can stay together.
10. King's Academy (6-0) is a bunch of scrappy survivors, aren't they? It was hard to predict what the Lions' football program would look like after moving to the Sunshine State Athletic Association this season. Take your pick on their most dramatic moment so far: An opening week upset of Saint Andrew's, capped by an onside kick return touchdown? How about a blocked kick to seal a win down south over Miami Beach? Or perhaps their comeback overtime win over fellow SSAA unbeaten American Heritage-Delray? 10-0 is a very real possibility with Dan Burack and the Lions unbeaten through the toughest portion of their schedule.
11. American Heritage-Delray (5-1) deserves a lot of credit for its swift response to ugly scenes after an overtime loss to King's Academy on Friday. Multiple Heritage-Delray coaches had to be pulled away by security and law enforcement from an altercation with the game's officiating crew as they attempted to leave the field. On Monday, athletic director Kristina Shahin told the involved referees' association that the school was suspending two coaches, satisfying concerns the referees had over future Stallions games. The incident shouldn't overshadow what has otherwise been an excellent season for head coach Jonathan King's squad, which features one of the county's best passing games behind quarterback Marcus Stracke.
12. We are about to learn a lot about Santaluces (2-2) in the coming weeks. The Chiefs have offered little after a blowout win over rival Boynton Beach in Week 1, losing at Martin County and at home to Palm Beach Lakes while picking up their lone other win via forfeit. Dr. Joaquin Garcia, Jupiter, Palm Beach Central and Wellington make up a meaty four-game district stretch that will be decisive for this talented Chiefs squad.
13. Let's all hope that Lake Worth (0-4) is able to get back on the field sooner rather than later after back-to-back forfeits and a rain cancelation. A small roster size, coupled with early-season suspensions, left the Trojans with less than half a dozen players, numbers the district deemed too small to face teams like Santaluces and Dr. Joaquin Garcia, which have Division I talent. From the marching band to concession stand and ticket revenue, players aren't the only ones impacted when a team can't get on the field.
14. With an assist from our team of journalists, Inlet Grove (0-3) has managed to field a team so far this season, overcoming significant facility and equipment issues. First-year head coach Matthew Haughn has gone above and beyond to find support for the Hurricanes, be it with the school administration, Riviera Beach city officials and even the local newspaper. The team is now playing its home games at the Dan Calloway Recreation Complex and has received renewed donations from the local community.
15. How about we end with two intriguing .500 teams? Royal Palm Beach (2-2) and Dr. Joaquin Garcia (2-2) each could have had signature wins against Pahokee but both let them slip away late after allowing a 75-yard 'Hail Mary' touchdown and a 91-yard game-winning drive, respectively. Royal Palm Beach bounced back in a big way, taking control of its district race with a blowout win at Martin County and another victory at Glades Central. We will really get a taste for Garcia's progress in the coming weeks with district foes like Santaluces, Palm Beach Lakes, Wellington and Jupiter looming.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County high school football: 15 thoughts at midseason 2026
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