BOYNTON BEACH – There’s a high school football team in western Boynton Beach besides Park Vista.
It’s called Somerset Academy-Canyons.
“We always remind each other we’re not the favorite to win any of our games,” senior offensive lineman Johnathan Oldano said.
Somerset has only been around for four years and probably has been ignored for all four of them due to their relatively new existence in Palm Beach County. The fledgling program is looking to change that.
As the dawn of fall training camp has come the Cougars will make an attempt to improve on last year’s 3-5 record under the leadership of head coach Tom Halikman. He is a former assistant coach of St. Andrews School in Boca Raton, where Jimmy Robertson is the head coach.
To help further the Somerset Canyons young talent, they’ll be adding a junior varsity team this year. The junior varsity team will play a six-game schedule.
Halikman explained the importance of having a junior varsity team.
“We’re looking to expand our program,” Halikman said. “It will help us out a lot in developing players and creating a system.”
The player buy-in at Somerset is obvious, as every player seems to understand his role on the team and the team goal. There’s a huge emphasis on improvement as the team seeks major improvements this fall.
Running back Kwauvan Wilson and running back/linebacker Jobed Phanord have bought into the team concept. They are looking for the school to capitalize now and in the future.
“We’re just trying to build,” Wilson said. “We want to set an example for the younger guys. It’s a small school, but we’re trying to do something right now.”
Phanord spoke on the progress made at Somerset Canyons.
“We have a great coaching staff,” Phanord said. “We’re looking to have a great season. We have a lot of younger guys out here. I plan to leave a lot behind for them. This is my last year here, and it’s up to us to leave something behind here for the younger guys to pick up and carry on.”
Offensive lineman Johnathan Oldano has been at Somerset since the school opened and he’s looking to be a staple in the Cougars offense this year.
“We definitely want to win our schedule,” Oldano said. “We want to make the playoffs and become one of the bigger schools in the future. We want to make a name for ourselves like the IMG’s, the Oxbridge’s, maybe get to that level one day.”
Fellow offensive lineman Sebastian Venerin would echo the same sentiment as he talked about player development.
“We already have great talents,” Venerin said. “With that (making a name for themselves) we can build up more.”
The future looks bright for the Cougars, as rising sophomore Theo Glover has been turning heads with his size and work ethic. The offensive lineman believes in the program and looks to make an impact in his first year with the team.
“I’ve developed by learning techniques from my coaches,” Glover said. “We have a great staff that’s willing to teach and be there for us, so I’m starting to get the hang of things. We’re something new here and I want to build a name on that. Hopefully we can put our school on the map.”
Defensive lineman Vanes Valiere is a leader for the Cougars. He’s a man on a mission.
“I’ve been here since I was a freshman,” Valiere said. “I’ve been putting the hard work in on the field, each and every day. I don’t just want to be someone that played here. I want to be someone that started here, finished here, and put the school on the map. I want to be part of history.”
Somerset Canyons has young talent that’s being developed and the facilities to build a program. It will be interesting to see what this young Cougar team does this fall and the years to come.
