'Right here on Shiloh': Palm Beach Lakes looks within to rebuild after winless season

WEST PALM BEACH – Palm Beach Lakes is out to rebuild the morale and foundation of its football program under new head coach and former player Turmarian Moreland.

After 2019’s undefeated regular season under Al Shipman, the program has gone a disappointing 3-24, including last year’s winless campaign.

But with Cedric Jones’ departure last year, Lakes has welcomed an old friend in hopes of building a new beginning.

Practicing in the blazing afternoon heat this week, it’s clear to see the physicality that Moreland and his staff intend to bring to a run-first offense as they prepare for the preseason matchup against Okeeechobee on Friday.

As the Rams gear up during their last week of practice, here are three takeaways from Lakes’ spring prep.

1. Moreland returns home to help Rams find spark

Once a Ram, always a Ram.

“Most of the staff is Palm Beach Lakes alumni,” Moreland said. “We have a lot of pride and a lot of passion about what we do here, because we come from here. I bleed maroon and gray.”

Having coached at St. Andrew’s, Oxbridge, and Palm Beach Central, Moreland has a bevy of local experience.

And having played on both sides of the ball – quarterback and receiver at Lakes and cornerback at the University of Hawaii – he brings intimate knowledge of the game.

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

Free: Check out our high school sports newsletter!

So it’s no wonder that the school believes it’s found their guy when it comes to leading the Rams’ charge in 2023.

“Coming back here and putting the program together, it’s a dream,” Moreland said. “I’m living a dream.”

When Moreland made the call to take the reins of the embattled program, there were already questions about the roster’s talent.

But despite last year’s season, any doubts were quickly put to rest when Moreland stepped onto the field and got to meet his guys.

When asked about X-factors and difference-makers that Moreland has his eye on, the list was anything but short – and Moreland was just shy of giddy talking about the talent on his list.

Christopher Holmes, leading the way for the program’s running backs, had 250 yards in the spring game.

“We call Chris ‘Mr. Gone,’ because, 'Oh my God, he’s gone,'” Moreland said. “Christopher Holmes will be that guy for us this year.”

Paired with senior Delvyne Nemorin, who Moreland calls their “best all-round player,” the Lakes roster is far more loaded than many realize.

2. Lakes rebuilds morale, player retention

Last year, a program in turmoil led to Lakes becoming an unfortunate revolving door for players.

Facing a roster decimated by turnover, the program lacked stability and morale suffered.

That, however, is a problem of the past.

“Not one kid that played spring football for us has left the program,” Moreland said. “We made sure to come in and embrace them. We coach them hard, but they know it’s coming from a place of love.”

The team has over a dozen seniors that help lead weekly leadership meetings, too, and instead of focusing on 7-on-7, Moreland kept the entire training regimen “right here on Shiloh” in order to build a brotherhood.

And while Moreland wasn’t with the program during last year’s winless season, he believes 2022 should continue to provide lessons – and motivation.

“We don’t shy away from 0-10,” Moreland said. “We talk about it weekly. 0-10, 0-10, 0-10. We talk about some of the scores from last year. We embrace it. We don’t run from it.”

3. Moreland: “We’re going to run the ball, it’s no secret”

When it comes to schematics, Lakes has a very clear goal in mind.

Pound the rock.

Under Moreland and his staff, Lakes is going to be incorporating a flexbone offense, a formation that typically utilizes three running backs, with which Moreland plans to involve options and rockets tosses.

“If you’ve seen Georgia Tech play with Paul Johnson, you’ve seen Palm Beach Lakes play,” Moreland said.

And it’s a strategy that already appears to be paying dividends.

“We ran the ball in the Spring,” Moreland said. “I think we scored 38-40-something points. We may have thrown the ball one time. We’re going to run the football. Everything we do in our spring conditioning program is based on what we do offensively.”

There is no emphasis on spread formation and Moreland isn’t wasting time on trying to push for speed development.

“Everything that we do in the weight room is what we do out here on the field,” he said.

And speaking of which, the weight room has definitely translated to results, perhaps most noticeably on the lines, which Moreland suggests averages 260 pounds per lineman.

Jentriee Gray, Sirmakhi Jacobs, Jeremiah Chandler, and Tahroj Warner on the line plus a big tight end in Jaquan Borden will make life for their running backs quite a bit easier.

That plus the physicality of last week’s practices may just give a sneak peek into a promising start for Lakes under the new leadership.

“We’re playing a tough opponent in Okeechobee next week,” Moreland said. “ They’re kind of built the same type of way. So, it’s going to be a good test for us before we get into our Week 1 game.”

Palm Beach Lakes

Classification: 4M Region 3 District 9

Record (2022): 0-10

All games scheduled for 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Kickoff Classic: 8/18 at Okeechobee, 7 p.m.

8/25 Open

8/31 vs. Port St. Lucie

9/8 vs. Pahokee

9/14 vs. Seminole Ridge

9/22 at Centennial, 7 p.m.

9/29 vs. Palm Beach Gardens

10/6 Bye

10/12 at Jupiter

10/20 vs. Wellington

10/27 vs. Royal Palm Beach

11/3 at Dwyer

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Lakes football looks within to rebuild after winless season