Most disrespected: Inlet Grove has chip on shoulder for good reason

RIVIERA BEACH – No. 7 Inlet Grove (3-1) has been ignored for a good part of this season.

But it is time to start paying attention.

For starters, No. 4 Santaluces (5-0) narrowly escaped with a win against Inlet Grove at home. This took some people by surprise.

You would think it would put people on notice that the Hurricanes can really play, even when the odds are stacked against them.

Since their 32-20 loss in Week 1, they have gone on to rip off a three-game winning streak that nobody is talking about.

Legend Felican passing against Santaluces

This includes former No. 6 Seminole Ridge (4-1), a team that reportedly decided not to continue playing in the middle of the game after a weather delay.

It was a little over seven minutes left in the third when the delay happened. Inlet Grove was up 25-10 at that point.

This game would have been a statement win for the Hurricanes had they finished it out.

I could see them winning 55-16 when it was all said and done.

Still, no respect after this game was eventually awarded to Inlet Grove as win.

I have an idea as to why this may be happening.

• People are still holding on to what Inlet used to be and look at it as a “small school”

• You have not lined your team up against them

• You have not watched or checked the Hurricanes stats

Let us count it up real quick.

OFFENSE

Sophomore quarterback Legend Felican is 39 of 52 with 943 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and a 75 percent completion rate.

Running back Jacory Brown has 243 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Fellow senior back Sebastien Christian has 285 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Wideout Timothy Mann Jr. has 306 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Fellow wideout Teremun Lott has 237 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Carl Boldin making tackles against Santaluces

Kian “Cheetah” Johnson is a very special player, as he leads the Hurricanes in receiving with 306 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to his two punts returned for touchdowns. Johnson can really fly, and if you give him any wiggle room, he will out run everybody.

Ejavious Boswell is a true equalizer for the Hurricanes. He is known as “Mr. Do It All” for a reason, as his stats right now are the following:

•145 rushing yards with three touchdowns on offense

•56 tackles and 13 tackles for loss on defense

DEFENSE

Senior Ajani Heron and junior Shadrack Simeon lead the Hurricanes in sacks with three each. They are a dangerous combination up front for Inlet Grove

Christopher Petit is right behind them with two sacks.

Malik Willis, Samuel Bryant III, Christian Martin, and Carl Boldin are tackling machines for the Hurricanes and contribute to keeping offenses in check.

Freshman defensive tackle Antowan Williams will be player to keep an eye on for the next four years as he is already making a name for himself. He is great with his hands and has top-end speed to close in on ball carriers.

Williams recorded six tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack against Seminole Ridge in only one half of football.

CULTURE SHIFT

As you can see, Inlet Grove has more than enough talent to compete with any team in Palm Beach County. But it still feels as if they have been put in a box.

What could it be after reading all of this?

I was able to get Inlet Grove’s head coach Rashad Jackson’s take on what he believes is happening and how he and his staff are changing the culture there.

“I think it’s because we were underestimated in the beginning,” Jackson said.

The culture at Inlet Grove is shifting, whether one pays attention to this program or not.

Jackson would explain some key factors that go into the culture shift as he described it as “The Rashad Jackson Effect.”

“Either you are coaching it or allowing it,” Jackson said. “We expect nothing but greatness at Inlet Grove.”

Jackson also explained how he has gotten his team to buy in so quickly as a first-year head coach for the Hurricanes.

“As a staff, our No. 1 goal is to win the kid,” Jackson said. “We let these kids know that we love them and believe in them. We teach a set of core values, and that’s what we run our program around.“

Inlet Grove is one of the top football programs in Palm Beach County and will only get better. The Hurricanes have five more opportunities to keep quieting their doubters, with premier district matchups against Glades Central (Week 8 at home) and King’s Academy (Week 10 at home) among those worth watching.