Why Palm Beach Gardens football could still be a playoff contender in 2023

WEST PALM BEACH − Palm Beach Gardens is 1-0 in district play and looking for a comeback in the second half of the season after a 2-3 start.

A 43-16 victory against a new-and-improved Palm Beach Lakes on Monday suggests that last fall's Class 4M region runners-up are trending in the right direction.

"We're really at a point where we're worrying about us and getting better," Gardens coach Tyrone Higgins said.

What's happening in preps? New Tiger on the prowl: Charlie Woods already picking up wins for Benjamin boys golf

Latest in football: New top team in Palm Beach County after Cardinal Newman drops in latest FHSAA football rankings

Here are three reasons why you can still expect to see the Gators make the postseason in 2023.

'Nomo' worries at receiver as Stephens settles in at QB

Against Palm Beach Lakes, it looked like things finally clicked. Yes, the Gators had a 35-0 shutout against Glades Central in mid-September, but the Raiders aren't quite the regular championship contenders they once were.

Still, it was a good glimpse into the potential that senior ATH Keyon Stephens would realize on Monday against Lakes.

Stephens got picked off in the second quarter by Lakes senior defensive back Kaleb Lockett, which ultimately resulted in Lakes taking its first and only lead of the game, up 8-7. Still, it was a bigger reflection of Lockett's film study and awareness rather than QB1.

"I feel like for the last three years, we've been on a losing streak and the senior this year is hungry for that payback and under new leadership and a lot of support, it's making a huge impact," Lockett said, happy his graduating class is "leaving Lakes in better shape" than when they arrived.

"Pre-snap reads and knowing the situation really helped me with that interception," Lockett said. "I saw that the tackles kicked step so I knew it was a pass and from watching film, I was able to realize the route combination that they like to run in that formation so I was able to read it and make a play."

It didn't take long for Stephens to respond, first nailing back-to-back tackles on defense to help Gardens reclaim possession, followed by a scoring drive with a passing touchdown to freshman receiver Lorontae' Davis.

"Keyon is our dude," Higgins said. "I'm very disappointed in the college community not respecting him."

Stephens found David Lubin on a short pass for his target to set Gardens up in the red zone, where a quarterback keeper and two-point conversion for Dante Crews would see the Gators with a 22-8 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Gardens was up 29-8 after a three-and-out sack by senior Niko Piatt that created a drive on offense for Lubin add six more to the scoreboard.

"He's an amazing athlete. On both sides of the ball, he works. He's a third-down corner for us, a man-cover corner for us, and he's our starting quarterback," Higgins said.

Stephens hit Davis again on a pass down the middle in the fourth quarter as the ninth grader outran a defender to put the final nail in the coffin for the Rams.

"I know there's a lot of ninth grade phenoms around, but he's the best in the county. I'll tell you that right now," Higgins said. "The game's a lot faster in high school. Calls are a lot longer so it's taking him time to come along, but we call him 'Nomo' because he's really that kid."

Higgins reminded that the last ninth graders he fielded are now Division I-caliber senior starters, from Air Force safety commit Caleb Chamberlin and under-the-radar ATH Christian Lopez to receiver-DB combos Josh Philostin and Kevin Levy, now at Cardinal Newman.

"I don't put just any freshman on the field," Higgins said.

Doubling down on Davis being the county's best freshman, senior Michael Wright III said: "I expect more from him. I expect him to play like a senior. It's good to have a young guy who can make plays like that."

Another one of Higgins' first-year varsity starters, Wright is looking to give Davis the leadership and teaching he didn't see from upperclassmen back when he was a rookie. By the looks of it, Davis is learning well.

"They show me I don't need to be scared of nothing," Davis said of his seniors. "They show me how to play Gator football − playing together as a team and as a family."

"I had a couple mistakes, but I made up for it, which is really what the game's all about − doing whatever you can to provide for your team."

The 'Wright' stuff on defense

Lakes running back Christopher Holmes was Gardens' biggest problem on defense. He carried in the Rams' only scores of the night − two rushing touchdowns and two runs for two-point conversions.

"He's an amazing offensive mind," Higgins said of Lakes coach Turmarian Moreland. "From a defensive coordinator standpoint, it's very nerve-wracking dealing with someone with that much offensive information."

"He knew exactly how to attack us. I knew he was going to get us in multiple formations quickly so my guys had to be able to line up correctly a lot of times within the drive," Higgins said.

Passing plays weren't going to cut it against Wright, who made it a no-fly zone on Monday. Any shot downfield, the three-star Florida Atlantic safety commit would be there waiting, ready to sling hopeful receivers to the sideline.

The Gators were eager to set their record straight after Pahokee. Posting just a catch and a tackle against the Blue Devils the week before, Wright played with an extra edge against Lakes.

"Everybody was executing. Everybody was blocking. Everybody was doing their job. Some people dropped a couple balls, but it's dark out here without stadium lights," Wright said.

"We put a lot of points on the board, so obviously that's going to lead us in the right direction."

Determined to defend District 9

Reigning district champ Gardens can stand having a few losses on the record so long as it keeps that status this fall.

After falling to Top 50 squads Atlantic and Vero Beach, plus Pahokee in a 34-18 Week 5 shocker, any hope of meeting Palm Beach Central in region finals again rests on a district title − an automatic ticket to the postseason. Especially with this year's FHSAA rankings preferring wins and final scores over strength-of-schedule, which puts Gardens at No. 234 overall and No. 33 in Class 4M.

"That's why we've got to put the numbers up," Higgins explained of the 27-point margin of defeat.

"It ain't nothing disrespectful to them [Lakes]. We just have to do our part."

"We've got a lot of offense. A lot of defense. It's been taking some time to culminate," Higgins said. "People had Covid. We've been losing a lot of practice to rain − to heat earlier in the season, so now we're getting the opportunity to get people going."

Jupiter currently ranks first in the standings for District 9 with a shiny 4-1 record. When they head to the Swamp on Oct. 26, the Warriors will certainly be tougher competition than the team that fell 38-7 to Gardens last fall.

However, a major improvement on offense in the Gators' weather-delayed Week 6 matchup is a much-needed confidence boost as a likely championship battle approaches in Week 10.

"We're almost where we need to be at this point in the season," Higgins said.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why Gardens football could still be a playoff contender in 2023