ANALYSIS: Cocoa won the State Title in 3A last year, South Fork made a surprising run, and Palm Bay is a consistently good. There are some teams here like Vero Beach, Merritt Island, and Treasure Coast that have the personnel to do some damage come playoff time.
TOP 5 TEAMS
1. COCOA: Cocoa beat Godby 7-6 in the state title game and return a lot of talent from that team. Their run first attack churns out tough yardage and they play great defense.
QB Matt Younger returns and he is a great fit in this offense. Younger can pick up yards with his feet and has a solid arm that can be used to keep defenses honest. RB Chevelle Buie is one of the state's top 2011 prospects. The slasher has good jets and runs surprisingly well between the tackles. Ronald Patrick and Josh Woods headline a great OL. Patrick is committed to South Carolina and has the versatility to play anywhere on the line.
S E.J. Johnson had a tremendous state title game with three picks. He has great range and ball skills, he should be more of a hitter this year with some extra weight. LB Rick Rivers is one to keep an eye on, he should be the leading tackler on this team. Ra'shawde Myers is a guy who can get pressure on the QB.
Cocoa drops to 2A, but it should not be a difference in competition. 2A is loaded with quality teams. Just in their region sit Madison County, Godby, Raines, Astronaut, and Frostproof. This team just wins and we expect them to be a big time factor in this class.
2. TREASURE COAST: The Titans were 7-3 in 2008, but return all of their star power and should be much better this year.
If this team wants to make some noise, the offense will need to be better and more consistent. QB Dylan Parker has a year under his belt, a solid arm, and he can manage the game. He has two weapons at WR in Keelin Smith and Patrick Harris. Harris has really come on as of late and is poised to break out this year. Big, bruising FB Cedric Wilcox can run the ball.
The defense is headlined by all world LB Jeff Luc. Luc might be the nation's most coveted recruit and has everything going for him. He is a high character leader who will flat knock you out. LB Ed Foley makes a ton of plays and is a steady force. In the secondary Smith and Lamarcus Brutus are high D-1 recruits, albeit juniors. LB/DE Deon Rogers has committed to Georgia and can get after the QB or drop into coverage.
The defense should be dominant, but this team will only be as good as their offense. This could be a sleeper team in 6A.
3. PALM BAY: The Pirates are coming off a 9-2 season and are the area's most consistent program, they will once again be in the mix.
QB Steven Hughes and RB's Chris McKeone/Patrick Leonard should have the run game churning out yards consistently. The key is going to be finding some play-making WR's. OL Allen Johnson is their best linemen.
The defense pitched four shutouts last year and kept every team under 30. This is where their outstanding JV/freshmen programs are seen on a yearly basis. Plenty of talent is on the way up and this once again be one of the top units in the area.
Palm Bay is in region 4-4A and in only a three team district. They are set up for a run this year. On paper they appear to be the best team in District 13 and 14 which would set up a quarterfinal game with perhaps Dwyer or Hollywood Hills.
4. VERO BEACH: The Indians went 9-3 last year and return over 40 players. Experience pays off in high school and this team might have the most of any team in the state.
Vero Beach likes to get physical and jam the ball down team's throats and this is one of their most experienced areas. They have college size on the line which should open up holes for Stevie Wallace and Jormonte Hunter. They need to be able to open it up to keep defenses honest.
Junior DE's Cody Horstman and David Dixson join Marcus Jackson to form a terrific defensive line. They should wreak havoc in the backfield. Larry Franklin is the top returner in the secondary and he has the type of range that should capitalize on that strong DL's presence.
It is a tough Region for Vero Beach. First they have Treasure Coast in their district. Atlantic is a potential first/second round opponent. Should they get through that, a team like Boone, Dr. Phillips, Apopka, or Olympia will be waiting in the quarters.
5. MERRITT ISLAND: The Mustangs only went 7-5, but did win their district and are moving in the right direction as a program. They lost a lot of starters, but looked great in the Spring.
RB T.J. Fredericks should have plenty of running room behind Austin Schell and Shane Williams. They need a QB to step up and take some pressure off the running game.
LB Vic Czerwinski is everywhere and he will be counted on to make even more plays in 2009. Joe Battle headlines a quick secondary. They gave up a season high of only 24 points in 2008 and play very disciplined.
We expect this team to get to the quarterfinals and perhaps see Booker T. Washington there.
OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH: Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Westwood, South Fork, Sebastian River
ALL AREA PRESEASON
QB Matt Younger, RB Chevelle Buie, RB J.J. Keels, WR Pat Harris, WR Leon Shorter, WR Jabari Cargill, OL Colton Odom, OL Austin Schell, OL Ronald Patrick, OL Josh Woods, OL Allen Johnson
DL Darius Cummings, DL Deon Rogers, DL Travonte Boles, DL Ra'shawde Myers, LB Jeff Luc, LB Ed Foley, DB Keelin Smith, DB Lamarcus Brutus, DB Jameson Wright, DB E.J. Johnson, DB Ty Dixon
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 17. Palm Bay at Treasure Coast