BY GENE NARDI
The Seminole Ridge High School football squad has started pre-season practices, getting ready to make some waves in Class 8A competition this fall.
The Hawks are usually no strangers to post-season play, but last year, plagued by injuries, the team fell short in a key district loss to crosstown rival Wellington High School.
With Hawks quarterback Dalton Trimble healthy again, after he suffered a season-ending knee injury last year, head coach Scott Barnwell believes that his team is up for the challenge.
The Hawks defeated South Fork High School in the spring jamboree game 42-35, and now have their sights set on battling it out in one of the toughest districts, 9-8A.
Seminole Ridge occupies a stacked district with reigning champs Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter high schools, along with newcomer Palm Beach Central High School, last year’s District 10-8A champions.
“It was a shock for us to not make the postseason last year,” Barnwell said. “I think it made the kids hungrier, and I think that they want to make their mark, and they have the shot to do that.”
In the off-season, the entire team occupied the weight room to work on strength training. This has been a priority with the Hawks program over the years, and it usually shows during the season, especially up front, in the trenches.
Defensively, “we’re young at linebacker this year, but we have two of the best safeties in the county in Chase Johnston and Joseph Schergen,” Barnwell said. “They’re really good at what they do.”
The front line on the offensive side of the ball arguably could be not only the biggest, but the best in the county. They average 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds. The anchor on the line will be senior center Jake Jones, getting the ball to Trimble.
Sean Edwards, at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, will move the ball on the ground for the Hawks, with a younger corps of backs supporting the offense.
Shaquille Bussey and Ty Smith will be the dual threat through the air for Trimble to connect with. Both receivers have the ability to make acrobatic catches and are sure to contribute big plays this fall.
With so many offensive weapons and a veteran line returning, look for the Hawks to run and throw the ball. They will certainly be a force in District 9-8A, and could challenge for the title, putting them back into post-season play.
The Hawks will host Coral Springs’ J.P. Taravella High School in a preseason kickoff classic Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m., and then travel to Pahokee High School for the regular season opener Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: In an offensive drill, Hawk quarterback Dalton Trimble throws to receivers.
