DELRAY BEACH – Last season didn’t go as planned for Atlantic.

That much is obvious.

With a new head coach and new expectations, the Eagles finished the season with a 5-6 record – including a three-game losing streak to end their season – and a first-round exit in the FHSAA Class 7A state playoffs against St. Thomas Aquinas.

Despite the up-and-down season a year ago, Atlantic head coach Jamael Stewart feels like the Eagles learned something from the experience.

“It was maturation…for us to get the freshman, get those guys experience at the end of last year,” Stewart explained.

Before the start of last season, Atlantic saw a large group of seniors depart the program. As a result, Stewart saw himself with a younger core and a different experience.

“Discipline was a big thing to change coming into the summer. You know, graduating 38 seniors last year and we really had to start installing that discipline within the program,” Stewart said. “A lot of those guys were suspended from games, things of that nature. … Discipline is going to bring ‘Ws’ onto the field because if everyone is disciplined, then we don’t have to worry about nobody missing any quarters, missing any games, things of that nature.”

This season, that young core – headlined by the likes of 2024 LB Jayden Parrish and 2025 QB Lincoln Graf – is a year older and another year seasoned.

Despite the youth, which could sometimes get in the way of things, it is clear to Stewart that this group has bonded and bought into what is being built at Atlantic.

Maybe, more importantly to the success on the field, Atlantic’s young core also got to experience the struggles of last season up close.

“For us, it was the summer that really prepped us to really have these kids bond, buy into the system,” Stewart said. “I think spending a lot of time with them this summer, going on college tours, going to camp tours, doing a lot of 7-on-7, we started to see them gel with one another.”

Stewart continued.

“Looking at them and watching them play, you can’t tell that they’re freshman and sophomores because they’re playing like seniors,” he said. “They’re very hungry. A lot of them got the taste of the losses last year and they don’t want that to happen this year.”

Overall, Stewart feels like last season was a learning experience that will not only benefit the players, but also the second-year head coach and his staff.

“It helped me understand what not to do and what to do. Us, as a coaching staff, we had to go back and look in the mirror and do a self-assessment on what we could do differently,” Stewart said. “And I think that was something big and we looked at a lot of things, especially when it came to the discipline. We came into the culture change, changing that whole culture and the mindset of what we want.”

Now, in 2022, Stewart is confident that Atlantic has what it takes to build off last season and put it all together.

“I think with this group of kids, I’ve never really seen a group assembled here at Atlantic like we have here now,” said Stewart, who has been part of the Atlantic program for the past 10 years, which have included a run to the state finals and a Tri-County title. “With this group of kids we have, we should be able to make a run.”

In order to make that run – however long it may be – Stewart feels like that buy-in from players will have to be evident.

“To make that run, [it’s going to take] that discipline, that grit and that entire buy-in from everybody,” Stewart said. “And what I’m seeing, everything is coming together.”

On offense, that buy-in will likely start with Graf. The sophomore quarterback was fortunate to get meaningful snaps last season – which will certainly help in his growth – and Stewart has seen a new-look Graf from last season.

“He wasn’t really a tackle football guy when we got him last year. He was a flag guy,” Stewart said of Graf. “Now him working with our offensive coordinator … I think things are going to be smooth, and those wheels are going to keep turning.”

On defense, the aforementioned Parrish – who holds college offers from Florida Atlantic and Auburn – will certainly play a role, as will seniors like Damauri Thompson (New Era Prep’s No. 31 player in the 2023 class), Desmon Self and other offensive seniors who play both ways.

But Stewart specifically sees something in the defensive back room.

In the secondary, Stewart specifically pinpointed the play and leadership of junior safety Ty’rique Hollis and Karl Luccin, who moves from outside linebacker to safety.

“I think with those guys and those pieces, and we have two offensive guys coming over helping,” Stewart said. “The secondary should be the top in the state.”

That secondary, and the entire team, will be tested early. In their kickoff classic game, the Eagles will travel to Palm Beach Central and play a Broncos team fresh off of a 10-1 season.

The Atlantic – Palm Beach Central kickoff classic game is set for tonight (Aug. 18) at 6:30 p.m.