Opening Week: The Kickoff Classic has Arrived

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – The Kickoff Classic has been a long-standing tradition in Florida high school football

Even though it doesn’t count toward season standings, it has become a staple of preseason football across the state.

Every year, there’s always a marquee matchup that everyone, both media and fans circle on their calendar as they scramble to get a first look at what the best teams in the county have to offer.

For the past two seasons, we had Atlantic and Palm Beach Central be the marquee matchup for the kickoff classic. This year things have changed.

While Atlantic and Palm Beach Central will face off for the third consecutive year, many have their eyes, phones, cameras and laptops geared up for following another game.

On Thursday the 14th fans will have the privilege to see two teams that won their respective State classifications battle it out right here in Palm Beach County as national powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna travels north to challenge West Boca Raton. In a game that features a plethora of Division I bound talent on both sidelines, it has the makings of being an instant classic.

With the marquees designated, here’s a preview of each Kickoff Classic Matchup from the 561

8/13: John Carroll Catholic @ Palm Beach Lakes
- The first official game of the 2025 Season, with the #RestoreLakes movement on the rise, many in the county will look to see how Lakes will perform this year.
8/14: Glades Central @ Forest Hill
- Both teams are coming off of winning seasons and looking to capitalize on the momentum, after finishing 9-2 last season Glades Central looks to cement themselves as a top team in the County
8/14: Park Vista @ The King’s Academy
- Both teams are coming off of winning seasons and looking to capitalize on the momentum, after finishing 6-4 last season Park Vista looks to continue their trend upwards and establish themselves with another winning performance this year. As for Kings, the Lions are coming off an 8-2 season with a district championship and a trip to the Sweet 16, their best finish since their State Championship run back in 2018. With the graduation of both Joe Dailey and Javian Jones, the Lions will be debuting a revamped offense.
8/14: Jupiter @ Calvary Christian
- Both teams are coming off of winning seasons, as prominent midfield teams, this might be the year that at least one of them makes the jump to being in the top section of their county. After finishing an impressive 9-1, Jupiter looks to go the extra mile, a win over district opponent Palm Beach Central later in the year to cement a district championship may be just the push the team needs to be looked at by many as one of the best in the county. As for Calvary, they continue to push their upward trend, earning more wins as each season progresses, this might be the year they take it to that next level.
8/15: Santaluces @ Pahokee
- Despite both teams finishing with very good winning records, both programs find themselves in a pragmatic limbo. While they found themselves in the State playoffs, they didn’t necessarily get that far, as Pahokee went to the Round of 16, Santaluces was one and done in the first round. However, both teams made the best of a scenario where many thought both teams would have “down seasons” last year, they shocked everyone and finished well above the .500 mark and look to capitalize on that momentum this year.
8/15: Cardinal Newman @ Boynton Beach
- After an overtime loss at home in the State Final Four, Cardinal Newman is back, with incoming transfers that look to strengthen both offense and defense, it is clear that Newman is in a very aggressive “win-now” strategy and won’t settle for anything less than a trip to states this year. As for Boynton, the team has been turning heads with a very productive summer season, winning the 561 Classic and building a new culture within the team that could see them be a potential dark horse team to keep an eye out on.
8/15: Dwyer @ Benjamin
- While on paper this game wouldn’t look like it would get any hype surrounding it at all, you’d be quite mistaken. After the resignation of Benjamin Head Coach Eric Kresser, many have speculated about what could become of the regularly playoff appearing and county dominating program. With the debut of new head coach and former NFL player Jason Belser, Benjamin may be a team to tune into this season. As for Dwyer, another disappointing finish under .500 the Panthers climb back to its former glory seems more complicated than it may seem, but maybe this could be the season where things turn around for the program, despite the kickoff classic games not officially counting toward team records, knocking off a county giant may be just the opening Dwyer needs to get things going.
8/15: Seminole Ridge @ Martin County
- Ridge had an extremely underwhelming year going only 1-9 despite having one of the best players in the country on their roster. The Loxahatchee based team looks to erase an extremely forgettable season and work with a clean slate this year. Martin County on the other hand looks to finish above .500 again this year and make the state playoffs, Martin County’s bouts with Palm Beach County squads such as Jupiter and Dwyer are always a fun sight to see.
8/15: Okechobee @ Dr. Garcia
- Dr. Garcia despite being a relatively new program impressed plenty of people, going 8-3 in only their second year as a program. Now led by Senior Quarterback Caleb Butler, the Bulldogs look to clinch their first ever district championship.
8/15: Mater Academy @ Somerset
- After a disappointing season in which many thought Somerset could be one of the teams to beat in Palm Beach County, bad luck came in and paid in full as the Canyons Cougars went 4-7 on the year. Now with a newer younger roster, Somerset is filled with lots of hungry guys looking to make a statement, Somerset very well could be a fun team to watch out for this season.
8/15: Palm Beach Central @ Atlantic
- Two teams with everything to prove. After pulling off an amazing season and almost eliminating national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas which would’ve left the 6A championship race wide open, Atlantic opened everyone’s eyes back to Palm Beach County, Atlantic showed that you don’t have to go to Broward or Miami to be great, you can easily stay home and create a legacy, and that’s what last seasons Atlantic High team did. Palm Beach Central on the other hand, despite an extremely rough start to the year, bounced back and nearly eliminated Vero Beach in the Round of 16. While Central lost key pieces of their roster due to graduation, they also retained plenty of key pieces, making this year’s showdown a lot more interesting.