New coach, same expectations: 3 key storylines for Glades Central football in 2022

A year ago, for better or worse, Glades Central was the most talked-about high school football program in Palm Beach County.

First, the Raiders were coming off an unbeaten (though pandemic-shortened) regular season in 2020. They rose to No. 1 in the Post's rankings after dominating Palm Beach Central 41-0 in the opener and stayed there.

Second, head coach Rashad Jackson was bringing in heralded quarterback Garrison Kepley from South Carolina to run the offense, raising Raiders fans' hopes of a deep playoff run.

And then it all came apart.

The Florida High School Athletic Association ruled Kepley ineligible for the season, saying he received an "impermissible benefit" when he joined the Raiders on a summer tour of colleges before he was officially enrolled at the school. The penalty was reduced to five games after Kepley's parents filed legal action, but even after the quarterback joined the team at midseason, the Raiders' offense never really clicked.

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Jackson, meanwhile, served a six-game suspension for the same infraction. After Glades Central finished 6-6 with a second-round loss in the Class 4A playoffs, he was dismissed.

That brings us to this season. The Raiders have a new coach, a new quarterback and far less drama.

Here are three keys to the Raiders' 2022 prospects:

1 .  New man at the helm

Glades Central has gone through six coaching changes since 2008, so Jackson's exit after two seasons wasn't totally unexpected.

The choice to replace him, however, was a surprise.

Travis Moore is 30 years old. He's never been a head coach at the varsity level. He's never coached in Palm Beach County. And unlike many of his predecessors -- including Jackson, a Glades Central graduate -- he has no ties to the Glades.

Moore was an assistant coach at two Broward County schools (Westminster Academy and Coral Springs Charter) before spending last year at Westover High in Albany, Ga., where he was passing game coordinator, quarterback coach and head JV coach.

So what attracted him to the Glades, other than a head coaching position?

"I wanted to be at a place where football can change lives," he said. "Football is so important to this community and these student-athletes."

Moore had little time to adjust to his new job. He arrived on campus in April and blew the whistle for his first spring practice three weeks later.

"As soon as I got here, they were ready to go," he said. "We got right to it the first day. I'd say it was a smooth transition."

2 . New man under center

Casey Felton, 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, played defensive end for the Raiders last season. Now he takes over at quarterback, and if his performance in the spring jamboree is any indication, he may provide the spark the offense was missing much of last year.

Facing Dwyer and Forest Hill, Felton completed seven passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, that's right -- he averaged 50 yards per completion.

"He's been working hard all summer and the team has rallied around him," Moore said. "We're looking for him to have a very good year."

Felton has a trio of top-flight receivers in Aaron Davis ("Mr. Do-It-All," in Moore's words), Robert Luckas ("the big body") and Semaj Demps ("the speed guy"). Moore also said to "be on the lookout" for freshman Leslie Mosley, who will be pushing the veterans for playing time.

Even with all that firepower, however, don't expect the Raiders to be slinging the ball all over the field. Moore said the offense will be built around workhorse back Nick Workman and an offensive line led by returning starters Tavales Curry and Prince McKelvin and sophomore Nas Ware ("the next big thing out of Glades Central").

"Philosophically, we're going to run the ball, (use) play action and take shots," Moore said.

Defensively, the Raiders will be led by cornerback Timothy Johnson, who suffered a broken foot in the opening game last season, safety Thernadrik Young and linebacker Ja'lyn Straker. Moore calls Straker "the guy who makes the group go."

3 . Same expectations

Glades Central has a rich football tradition that includes six state championships. The Raiders' notoriously loyal fan base seems to demand nothing less, even though it's been 16 years since the last title and 12 since the last appearance in a championship game.

The Muck Bowl, the season-ending game against neighboring Pahokee, is considered Palm Beach County's fiercest rivalry. Moore says that's "nothing I didn't already know" because he's had a first-hand look. When he was playing for Fort Lauderdale-University School in the late 2000s, defensive coordinator Tony Smith, a Glades Central graduate, took Moore and a few of his teammates to the Glades to see the Muck Bowl.

Before the Raiders face the Blue Devils, however, they have to navigate a daunting schedule that includes American Heritage-Plantation, Palm Beach Gardens, Cardinal Newman and Atlantic.

Under the new playoff format, which divides the state into metro and suburban classes, the Raiders will play in Class 2M-District 9. They'll be joined by King's Academy, Suncoast and Inlet Grove, now coached by Jackson, Moore's predecessor.

Asked about his own expectations for the season, Moore offered no predictions.

"We just want to control what we can control," he said. "Like I tell the players and the staff all the time, we control our attitude and effort. If we do those things 100% and prepare properly, everything else will take care of itself."

Glades Central 2022 schedule

Aug. 19: Miami-Booker T. Washington (kickoff classic)

Aug. 26: Seminole Ridge

Sept. 2: King's Academy

Sept. 9: at American Heritage-Plantation

Sept. 16: at Palm Beach Gardens

Sept. 23: at Dwyer

Sept. 30: BYE

Oct. 7: Cardinal Newman

Oct. 13: at Inlet Grove

Oct. 21: at Suncoast

Oct. 28: at Atlantic

Nov. 4: Pahokee

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Glades Central football: 3 key storylines for the 2022 season