5 coaches, 5 seasons: American Heritage-Delray football seeks stability in long road back

DELRAY BEACH — American Heritage-Delray's football program is trying to regain its footing after slipping into mediocrity in recent years.

For a decade, the Stallions were a team to be feared, winning state championships in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and making deep playoff runs most other years. Banners bearing the names of former Heritage stars who made it to the NFL, including current players Devin Singletary and Greg Joseph, hang in the north end zone, a reminder of past glory.

The present hasn't been so kind.

The Stallions have had only one winning season since 2015. They've cycled through five head coaches in the past five years, with none approaching the success of Doug Socha, who brought the program to prominence and is now head coach at Keiser University.

But Brandon Rooze, the latest coach to take on the challenge, sees better days ahead for the Stallions. Even though they dropped a 41-24 decision to unbeaten Archbishop McCarthy on Friday night, they've already exceeded last year's win total.

And with a team made up largely of sophomores and juniors, Rooze is excited about the possibilities.

Under the lights: An essential guide to Palm Beach County high school football

"It's a testament to the kids as much as anything," Rooze said of his team's 3-2 start after last year's dismal 2-7 showing. "Last year, we had such a young team. They're buying into the program, to the culture we're trying to instill. We're a year older, a year stronger, a year better."

For a while Friday night, it appeared the Stallions might reach the season's midpoint at 4-1. They scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, then surprised the Mavericks with an onside kick after the second, with kicker Jake Weinberg falling on the loose ball.

Fueled by a raucous crowd, Heritage drove to the McCarthy 3-yard line, looking to take a 21-6 lead. A holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 13, however, and the Stallions wound up settling for a 29-yard field goal by Weinberg.

"We were trying to play a little bit off the homecoming crowd," Rooze said. "We definitely started hot. We knew we needed to — they have a lot fewer two-way guys than we do and we knew they were going to try to wear us down a little bit."

Archbishop McCarthy (4-0) bounced back to score on two long drives, the second TD coming with five seconds left in the half, to take a 20-17 lead.

Heritage took the second-half kickoff and drove 75 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Sean Siska to Miles Rose, to regain the lead at 24-20. But the bigger, deeper Mavericks took control from there, scoring the last three touchdowns of the game.

"We had a couple of injuries that didn't help us, but they just wore us down," Rooze said. "But I felt proud of the way our kids fought. ... They're excited about American Heritage football and they're excited to be out there on a Friday night."

Rooze, 29, didn't expect to be in this position, at least not this soon. He came to American Heritage last season to join the staff of Brian VanGorder, a former defensive coordinator at Power Five schools (Georgia, Notre Dame, Louisville) and in the NFL (Atlanta Falcons) who was returning to the high school he coached in the 1980s. VanGorder and Rooze were on the same coaching staff at Bowling Green State several years ago.

VanGorder decided to step down after one season, continuing the Stallions' recent coaching turnover. Keith Hindsley was dismissed after the 2019 season. Brian Sheridan died of cancer at age 45 before he was able to coach his first game. Nick Martinez was promoted to head coach, then left after the 2021 season. VanGorder resigned in March.

"It all happened really quickly, kind of out of nowhere," Rooze said. "It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The goal was to take over the program at some point, but not after one year."

Rooze, the offensive coordinator last season, did inherit a core of young talent. "We returned a ton of starters, especially at the skill positions," he said.

Two juniors battled for the starting quarterback job, with Mason Kasten edging out Siska. After Kasten went down with an injury late in the second game, Siska led the Stallions to two victories. On Friday, he passed for more than 250 yards and two touchdowns despite facing heavy pressure from the Mavericks.

"Sean stepped in and has done a fantastic job," Rooze said.

Sophomore running back Darren Pressley, who missed two games with an injury, has been a workhorse since his return. He opened the scoring Friday with a 25-yard run and finished with 83 yards on the ground.

Two seniors, wide receiver Micheal Manna and tight end Ryan Vanscoy, have been Siska's favorite targets. Vanscoy, an Army commit, caught a 17-yard pass for the Stallions' second touchdown. Both players also excel on defense.

On the other side of the ball, Rooze calls junior linebacker Jack Wigginton a "tackling machine" and "the heart and soul of our defense." Sophomore tackles Chris Medina and Elias Drucker anchor a vastly improved defensive line.

Heritage now prepares to face District 10-2M opponents St. Andrew's, Somerset Academy-Canyons and Boynton Beach in the second half of the season. The Stallions went 0-3 against the trio last year, losing by an average of 28 points.

"Those are always the ones you have circled on your schedule," Rooze said. "That's what I told the kids: At the end of the day, district starts this week, and everything that we want to get accomplished is still in front of us.

"The games only get bigger from here, and as a competitor, that's all you can ask for."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: American Heritage-Delray football seeks stability in long march back