BY GENE NARDI
The Royal Palm Beach High School varsity football squad recently started their spring training in preparation for the coming fall season.
Last season, the Wildcats made some noise, coming in as high as the No. 4 spot on Palm Beach County’s top 10 list.
The Wildcats entered district play last season with one loss and six wins, but eventually were knocked from playoff contention and finished 6-4 on the season.
RPBHS head coach Willie Bueno expects his squad to continue to be a force in District 13-7A. With district rivals Atlantic and Dwyer high schools waiting in the wings, it will make for an interesting fall season for the Wildcats.
“We graduated five recruited seniors this year, but we have depth going into next year,” Bueno said.
Running back Jimmy Moreland has moved into the starting quarterback position for the fall, but will miss the Gardens game due to an injury.
“Everything will be the same defensively, and offensively we’ll spread it out and run the ball,” Bueno said. “It all depends on how our offensive line comes together.”
Bueno boasts a trio of running backs going into the fall: returning players Charles Perry and Demarcus Holloway, and Wellington transfer Shamar Jackson. Zeke Edmonds will be moved to split and be used more as a receiver.
When asked about plans for the Palm Beach Gardens game, Bueno said he hopes to give the entire team time on the field. “We’ll play our older guys for the first quarter, and then we’re going to try and play everybody,” he said.
Royal Palm Beach hosts Palm Beach Gardens on Friday, May 24 for a 7 p.m. game.
ABOVE: (Right) RPBHS quarterback Trystan Drew stiff-arms a defender to avoid a tackle.
