Two weeks into the 2022 high school football season, two local varsity programs remain undefeated — Palm Beach Central High School and Seminole Ridge High School.
As expected, Palm Beach Central High School, which reached a Class 7A regional final last season after posting an undefeated regular season, is off to a strong start.
The Broncos opened with a pair of victories: 80-0 against Palm Beach Lakes High School on Aug. 26, followed by a 27-7 win over Lakewood High School from St. Petersburg on Sept. 2.
The next two games for the Broncos are Friday, Sept. 9 at Park Vista High School, and on Friday, Sept. 16, when Palm Beach Central hosts Pahokee High School, in a battle of two of Palm Beach County’s top high school football programs.
After two weeks of play, Palm Beach Central head coach Kevin Thompson likes what he has seen on the gridiron.
“I have been really impressed by the maturity of our team,” Thompson said. “Our preparation throughout the week has also translated well to the field. Overall, team leadership has done well at showing up every day ready to work and rally the team.”
Despite the 2-0 record, which was achieved with a prolific offense and a stingy defense, Thompson knows that his team has room for improvement.
“We’re still working on more consistency,” he said. “Our guys are working on getting better at that.”
At Seminole Ridge High School, there’s a new head football coach patrolling the sidelines this season. It’s Chad Chieffalo, who took over the reins of the program following the retirement of legendary coach Rick Casko.
The Hawks are off to a strong 2-0 start, based on a pair of road victories: 22-14 at Glades Central High School on Friday, Aug. 26, followed by a 23-0 win at Royal Palm Beach High School on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The next two games for the Hawks are at home. On Friday, Sept. 9, Seminole Ridge hosts its home opener against Forest Hill High School. Then, on Friday, Sept. 16, Seminole Ridge hosts the Rams from Palm Beach Lakes High School.
At Wellington High School, the Wolverines started the season with one win and one loss. On Friday, Aug. 26, the team traveled to Boynton Beach to take on the Park Vista High School Cobras. Everything went right that night for the Wolverines, as they triumphed 41-0. However, a week later, on Friday, Sept. 2, Wellington was crushed 42-7 while visiting Martin County High School. The next two opponents for Wellington will be at home against undefeated Jensen Beach High School on Friday, Sept. 9 and at local rival Royal Palm Beach High School on Friday, Sept. 16.
At RPBHS, new head football coach Chuck Kenyon is busy changing the culture and mindset about football on the Wildcats campus. After an encouraging 16-14 win in its kickoff classic against West Boca Raton High School, the Wildcats opened the regular season with a pair of losses. On Aug. 26, the Wildcats lost their home opener to Fort Pierce Westwood, 36-13. On Thursday, Sept. 1, they were shut out 23-0 by local rival Seminole Ridge. The Wildcats will be seeking their first win of the regular season when they play at Suncoast High School on Friday, Sept. 9. The following week, they host Wellington on Friday, Sept. 16.
At the King’s Academy, it’s the beginning of a new coaching era under incoming head football coach Ben McEnroe. The Lions had an exciting season opener at home versus Saint Andrew’s School from Boca Raton on Friday, Aug. 26. The Lions prevailed 24-21 when junior placekicker Nicholas Cueto drilled home a field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter. A big key in the game for TKA was its ability to successfully rush for 164 yards. Then, the following week, TKA lost 14-7 at Glades Central High School. The Lions will seek their second victory of the year when they host undefeated Somerset Academy-Canyons on Friday, Sept. 9. On Friday, Sept. 16, the Lions return to Belle Glade to face the Gators from Glades Day School.
At Berean Christian School, the Bulldogs hosted Out-of-Door Academy from Sarasota on Saturday, Aug. 27, falling 28-0. Then, on Friday, Sept. 2, Berean lost to Cocoa Beach High School, 56-0. Berean head football coach Mario Jackson will attempt to rally his team as they prepare to play Saint Edward’s School from Vero Beach on Saturday, Sept. 10. On Friday, Sept. 16, they will play at Boca Raton Christian.
