Palm Beach County, FL. — The 2026 Florida high school football season is absolutely flying by. It feels like just yesterday the boys of fall were suiting up for Week 0, and now we’re already five weeks into the season.
With the regular season reaching its midseason apex, I wanted to take a few moments to highlight some local student-athletes who have opened the year with a bang. Each player will be the lone representative from their respective team, serving as a face of their program’s success this fall.
Like the title suggests, this is a “breakout” list. That doesn’t necessarily mean these players came out of nowhere. Every guy featured here is a talented football player. Rather, these are players who have taken another step this season, whether that’s through production, an expanded role, or simply putting together a stretch of football that has demanded a little more attention.
Corian Davis, WR/DB — Pahokee
The Pahokee Blue Devils are BACK in the conversation as one of Palm Beach County’s top teams, making headline after headline with improbable early-season wins. While 8th-grade phenom QB Braylon Peterson has grabbed plenty of attention, 2028 WR/DB Corian Davis deserves his share of the spotlight.
Davis has hauled in nine catches for 248 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 10 tackles, seven pass deflections and an interception on defense. He was the recipient of Pahokee’s viral Hail Mary, snagging the game-winning touchdown as the Blue Devils stunned Royal Palm Beach in the final moments of their Week 2 thriller.
Joey Weber, QB — Boca Raton Christian
The Boca Raton Christian Blazers are on fire, opening their 2026 campaign 5-0. The Blazers’ offense has been an absolute air raid, averaging 48.4 points per game, with senior quarterback Joey Weber serving as the main catalyst.
Weber has been nearly automatic to open the season, throwing for 2,089 yards on 70% completion with 25 touchdowns. The stat line is impressive on its own, but it becomes even more eye-opening when you put it into a statewide and national context. Weber currently leads Florida in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, ranking third and second nationally in those respective categories. Boca Christian boasts two 750-plus-yard wideouts in Joshua Burrell and Tavaris Wilson, both of whom sit near the top of statewide statistical leaderboards for pass catchers.
For Weber, this isn’t exactly new territory. The four-year starter has now thrown for nearly 9,200 yards and 109 touchdowns during his career, but this season feels like the final chapter of the more historic quarterback careers in Palm Beach County history.
JoJo Ferrer, ATH — St. John Paul II
Staying down in Boca Raton, St. John Paul II is laying the foundation for the Gad Jacobs era of Eagles football. Through the opening handful of games, SJP’s offense has been fast, explosive and increasingly difficult to keep up with, with 2029 WR/DB Joziah “JoJo” Ferrer emerging as one of the biggest playmakers.
Ferrer has hauled in 23 receptions for 491 yards and five touchdowns through the opening stretch of the 2026 schedule. His 491 receiving yards currently rank 12th in the state among all classifications.
For a young player, the production is already turning heads. Ferrer isn’t simply getting opportunities: he’s making the most of them.
Jonah Kasten, WR/DB — American Heritage Delray
The American Heritage (Delray) Stallions are once again positioning themselves for another Sunshine State Athletics Association (SSAA) title run. At 5-1, the Stallions have been rolling to open the fall, and a big reason why has been the production of an offense featuring several dynamic pieces.
While 2028 QB Marcus Stracke understandably gets plenty of the spotlight, I’d like to give some love to his right-hand man, Jonah Kasten, who has been making an impact on both sides of the football. The 5-foot-11 senior slot-out has recorded 20 catches for 299 yards and six touchdowns offensively, while adding 21 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery on defense.
In an offense that primarily specializes in quick game execution, the speed and burst of Kasten over the middle has provided a nice spark to the American Heritage offense.
Jordan Johnson, QB — Palm Beach Lakes
Senior quarterback Jordan Johnson bet on himself this offseason, transferring from Palm Beach Gardens to Palm Beach Lakes. So far, that decision has paid off, with Johnson lighting up both the scoreboard and the stat sheet.
Through the opening weeks, Johnson has thrown for 1,057 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes.
The Rams also happen to have one of the more talented wide receiver rooms in the area, featuring Colorado commit Ryan Ferdinand and Howard commit Hershel Reynolds. Johnson has done his part to make sure those playmakers are involved, consistently getting the ball into the hands of the guys who can make something happen with it.
Offers: Bethune Cookman
Justice Jones, WR/DB — Park Vista
The Park Vista Cobras have been quietly building a very strong start to the 2026 season. The 2-2 Cobras have shown the ability to contend with some of the 561’s best, and a big chunk of that is due to the performances of senior WR/DB Justice Jones. Jones is the primary boundary wideout for PV, recording 16 catches, 339 yards and 2 touchdowns to open the season.
While those are certainly solid numbers at receiver, Justice is being honored for his defensive contributions, where he’s pitched a no-fly-zone over the top with 5 Interceptions from Week 0-5, two of which being returned for Pick-6’s. Justice’s pick party is quite impressive, landing at #5 in the State for takeaways at the mid-season mark.
This past spring, Justice Jones podiumed at the FHSAA 4A Track and Field State Championships, earning second place honors in the High Jump with a 6 foot 5 1/2 leap.
Offers: Akron, Florida Atlantic, Lenoir-Rhyne University (D-II)
Logan Hartwig, WR — Palm Beach Central
I’ll be honest, this is probably the least surprising addition on this list for me.
Those who spoke with me about preseason projections this summer know I was firmly on the Logan Lindsey Hartwig hype train, and boy, has he done his part to prove me right. Palm Beach Central has developed a reputation for producing high-level pass catchers, and the 2028 slot receiver looks like he’s positioning himself to join that group.
Hartwig has opened his junior season with 26 catches for 431 yards and eight total touchdowns. What makes his production particularly interesting is the versatility behind it. Hartwig can line up in the slot, move outside and even take snaps under center when Palm Beach Central wants to get creative.
When PBC needs an extra jolt of offensive firepower, don’t be surprised to see Hartwig lined up in the backfield for some wildcat action.
Offers: Bethune Cookman, Mercer, WV State
Makarion Owens, EDGE — West Boca Raton
The West Boca Raton defense has honestly become a bit of a factory for Division I talent, particularly in the trenches. The Bulls have done just about everything right as they continue their pursuit of a three-peat, and 2028 EDGE rusher Makarion Owens has played a big part in that defensive success.
Owens has waited his turn, and now that his opportunity has arrived, he’s making sure people notice. Through the opening stretch of the season, he’s recorded 15 total tackles, three sacks, nine QB hurries and a pass breakup.
He opened the season with a bang in West Boca’s highly anticipated Week 0 matchup against Miami Carol City, recording four tackles, two QB hurries and a vicious sack-fumble.
Roman Driggers, RB — The King’s Academy
The King’s Academy is sitting pretty with an unblemished 6-0 record following its transition to the SSAA this offseason. The Lions have become quite the page-turner, consistently finding ways to win when the games matter most.
One of TKA’s biggest sparks has come on the ground, where senior running back Roman Driggers has transformed himself into the Lions’ bell-cow back. Driggers has carried the ball 118 times for 825 yards and four touchdowns, already putting together four 100-yard performances this season.
His 825 rushing yards currently rank seventh in the state, and he’s well on pace to comfortably eclipse the 1,000-yard mark before the season comes to a close.
That’s just a look at some of the guys who’ve made their mark through the first five weeks. There’s still a lot of football left, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty more names to add to this conversation by the time the season wraps up.
