3 Things I Know, 3 Things I Think I Know, 3 Things I Don’t Know

With the condensed season that the FHSAA has these days to complete the regular season, games pile up quickly early in the year, and analysis has to come swiftly.

As we enter week four, and some teams already past a third of their season complete, I took a stab at trying to put some ideas in order here in Palm Beach.

Here is this season’s first edition of, Five Things I Know, Five Things I think I Know, and Five Things I Don’t Know.

Enjoy!

3 Things I Know

1. I Know St. John Paul Is For Real

The Eagles have always been competitive under Manager Pete Graffeo during his 16 years leading the program, but something this year feels different. The march to become a county powerhouse is usually a progressive one, in which a team gets close one season, and then breaks through the next. This feels like that breakthrough year for the Eagles.

Last season, they advanced to the regional finals, where they fell short in a two-game series loss to St. Andrew’s.

That team lost a lot of their starters, leading many to believe that this year could be a rebuilding year, with a lot of young talent that hasn’t had much varsity playing time.

This year has been anything but a rebuild so far. St. John Paul has started the season 9-0, and looks like the most complete team in the county. Their pitching staff has allowed only 13 runs in nine games, with three of their past four games being shutouts.

They are for real.

2. I Know Parity Has Arrived

Outside of St. John Paul, there have been no dominant teams. What we are seeing on a week to week basis, is a bunch of teams, where, if everything falls right for them, they can have a good week.

The problem has been, that not many teams have had everything fall right for them. So what we have gotten is one team looking dominant on a Monday, and then struggling and falling to another team later in the week.

There are 27 teams that have between two and five losses in the county. Contrast that with only three teams with one or two losses, and nine teams with six or more losses, and what you get is a whole lot of parity.

Yes, it is early in the season, but already four weeks in, it feels like any team can beat any other team, on any given night. That is not something the county has seen for a long time.

3. I Know Miguel Cuello Is Building Another Powerhouse At Atlantic Christian

The HSBN Hall of Fame Manager left Trinity Christian two years ago for Atlantic Christian. At the time, many around the community were stunned, as he had built the Warriors into a perennial power, winning several state titles.

Although the Sharks took their lumps in year one, Cuello is starting to get all the pieces in place to again return to the top of the county. Calling them dominant, even with their 6-0 record so far in 2026, is a bit premature. There are still some holes, and they have yet to be tested, but there is little doubt that whether it is this year, or the years to follow, Atlantic Christian is going to be a team that has to be taken seriously.

Cuello knows how to build a small school into a state contender, and he is well on his way to doing so with the Sharks.

3 Things I Think I Know

1. I Think Jupiter Has The Talent To Get Back To Fort Myers This Season

The Warriors came into the season touted as one of the most talented teams in Palm Beach. And while that label remains through the teams first eight games, there still have been times when Jupiter looks average.

They defeated Broward #1 on the road early in the season, and it looked like they were poised to be one of the teams I discuss in the 3 Things I Know section of this article.

But then they lost to #4 Dwyer and #6 Palm Beach Central on the road. While neither of those losses could be classified as bad losses, they both exposed a few weaknesses in the Warriors game. Against Dwyer, Jupiter committed three errors. In the Palm Beach Central game, the Warriors pitching staff walked seven hitters.

On the season, the Warriors pitchers have 37 walks in 51 innings. Defensively, Jupiter has committed 16 errors in eight games. Flaws within the pitching and defense are the type flaws that will get any team beat, especially come playoff time.

But, what I think I know here is, Jupiter hasn’t fully put it all together yet. Manager Joe Giummule still has a ton of talent, and if I were a betting man, I would bet that this team will be peaking at the right time down the stretch. They are too talented not to.

2. I Think King’s Academy, Dr. Garcia, Dwyer, And Park Vista Can Make Runs

King’s Academy, Dwyer, and Park Vista look like the safest bets of the group to make a strong playoff run. All three of those teams have won games against some big time opponents, have talented high end starters and are traditionally strong programs that will get respect come playoff time.

Dr. Garcia and PB Central are the wild cards, that I believe I have seen enough to believe in. The Bulldogs have a veteran manager in Nick Franco, that understands how to build a program the right way, and Dr. Garcia has gotten better in each of his three seasons.

The Broncos have Christian Benhart pulling the strings, after coming over from Boca, and so far, he has Central looking like a contender. Neither team is void of flaws, and have shown uneven play, but if they can gain some consistent, I would expect both to have a say come playoff time.

3. I Think With All The Parity, That We Are In For Some Playoff Upsets

While I spent the earlier things I think on teams I believe can make a run, I also believe those teams are at risk of playoff upsets. That is because there is another whole slew of teams right below those teams, that have shown the ability on any given day, to show out.

Suncoast is 3-4 but has beaten Dwyer, and lost to Central by a run. Seminole Ridge is 5-3. Royal Palm Beach defeated Suncoast, and lost to 7-1 Boca by a run. West Boca beat Dr. Garcia, while Lake Worth Christian, Berean Christian, and Jupiter Christian, are all above .500 in the district with Atlantic Christian.

Every year there are upsets in the playoffs, and I think this is a year that profiles with many more possibilities of that, than in recent years.

3 Things I Don’t Know

1. I Don’t Know What To Make Of American Heritage or Spanish River

Spanish River was coming off a strong 2025 season, and had high hopes for 2026. The season has not started as expected, as the Sharks are 1-7-1. A deeper dive into Spanish River, however, reveals a team that could possibly turn things around quickly. They tied St. Andrew’s a state Final Four team a year ago, and they lost by one run to Miami #9 St. Brendan. Some of the losses are ugly, but the team has enough talented players to turn the season around.

American Heritage is in a similar situation at 3-7. The Stallions have beaten Broward #9 Calvary Christian, and had close losses to #4 Dwyer, and twice to #5 Kings Academy. Like Spanish River, they also have some ugly losses. Manager Carm Mazza has been at this for 28 years at Heritage, so if anyone can engineer a turnaround, its the longtime skipper.

2. I Don’t Know If Boca’s 7-1 Record Is For Real

After a successful 19 year run at Monarch and Coral Glades, Manager Joe Franco took over the Bobcats program this past Fall. Boca has started the season on fire, winning seven of their first eight games.

It is difficult to decipher whether they are as good as their record suggests, or a product of their schedule. Of the Bobcats seven wins to date, six have come against teams with three or less wins. With only three of their final 14 games against ranked Palm Beach opponents, it may be true that we won’t know just how good this Bobcat team can be, until playoff time.

Franco has said that this is one of the most talented teams he has coached in his 20 years as a manager, so there is a lot of hope that this Bobcat team can make some waves come playoff time. This feels like a wait and see situation, which puts it in my Things I Don’t Know list this week.

3. I Don’t Know What To Make Of The Quality Of Baseball In Palm Beach This Season

All of the above leads to one prevailing thought, one that is discussed by people in my field in almost every college sport in America. Is the parity that exists the product of a lot of really good teams beating up on each other. Or, is it a symptom of nobody being truly great, and everyone taking advantage of everyone else’s flaws and weaknesses.

I think it is too early in the season to answer this question, as many teams are just getting into the central part of their seasons.

The lack of Fall competition, has led to slow starts by teams over the past few years. That means, that teams only now, and over the next few weeks, will be hitting their full strides of what they can or can’t be.

Can a few of these teams emerge as possible state title contenders? I have no doubt that will happen. But figuring out which teams that will be, is the part I don’t know.

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