3 Things I Know, 3 Things I Think I Know, 3 Things I Don’t Know

With the condensed season that the FHSAA has these days to complete the regular season, games pile up quickly early in the year, and analysis has to come swiftly.

As we enter week four, and some teams already past a third of their season complete, I took a stab at trying to put some ideas in order here in Broward.

Here is this season’s first edition of, Five Things I Know, Five Things I think I Know, and Five Things I Don’t Know.

Enjoy!

3 Things I Know

1. I Know St. Thomas Is Broward’s Best Early On

The Raiders appear to be the cream of the crop in Broward through the early stages of the 2026 season. Over their last two games, St. Thomas has taken down #2 West Broward, and #3 Douglas, both by one run.

So while the margins are thin, and not much separates the top three teams in the county, there is something to be said for being a defending state champion, and winning those two games.

The Raiders have scored 60 runs in nine games. In those nine games, five have been decided by a single run, the wins over Douglas and West Broward, and losses to St. John Neuman and Jupiter.

St. Thomas has one of the clearest paths back to Fort Myers in their 6A region, with Doral looking like one of the only obstacles in their way.

2. I Know North Broward Prep Is Elite Again

Questions arose when the Eagles lost their opener this season 6-1 to St. John Paul. In the weeks since, however, that loss has shown to be more of a testament to how good St. John’s may be, rather than a red flag for NBP.

St. John Paul is 9-0, and is the #1 team in the HSBN Palm Beach rankings this week.

Since that loss, NBP has looked as impressive as any team in the county. They have won eight of their last nine games, including three of four at the Perfect Game Showdown in Hoover, Alabama this past week.

They are averaging 8.3 runs per game, and their offense looks like it will hold up against anyone.

A huge match up looms on Thursday, when they travel to face five-time state champion Douglas.

3. I Know There Is A Big Gap Between The Top Teams And Everyone Else

While St. Thomas, West Broward, Douglas, and North Broward Prep have been mostly dominant, there seems to be a sharp dropoff between them and the rest of the county.

A few teams, such as defending state champion American Heritage, Calvary Christian, Chaminade-Madonna, and Somerset Academy have shown flashes, against above-average schedule competition. But none have shown the consistency to be among the top four.

There is another entire tier of teams that we will get to later, that have great records, but lack signature wins, and have played less difficult schedules, to be included as elite.

Whether any of these teams gain their footing, and put together a long winning streak, is yet ot be determined, as the season is early. But for now, it looks like a four-headed monster at the top of the county.

3 Things I Think I Know

1. I Think There Are Some Potential Good Teams, But Their Schedules Give Pause

There is a tier of teams with great records such as Coral Springs (7-1), Westminster Academy (5-1), Highlands Christian (5-1), Coral Glades (7-2), and Fort Lauderdale (8-1), who beg the question. Are they as good as their record, or are they products of their schedules?

Coral Springs is 8-1, but of their eight wins, only two came against teams with winning records, and the combined record of those teams is 11-8.

Fort Lauderdale is 7-2, with two of those wins coming via forfeit, and none coming against teams with more than three wins.

You can see where I am going here. These teams are unproven.

Coral Glades has the biggest claim to possibly being a playoff contender, as two of their wins have come against #8 University School, and #9 Calvary Christian.

2. I Think I Know That Players Transferring Is Good For Players, Terrible For The Game

There is little doubt that in today’s era of NIL, which has trickled down to the high school ranks, that the overall product has been diluted. Top, and even mid-tier players, jump at the first opportunity to join the top programs.

And while that has worked out well for a small minority of around 20% of players, and their individual goals, it has destroyed the high school game as we knew it.

There is no more middle of the pack teams, upsetting top teams. They simply don’t have the talent to do it. Look up and down the standings, and what you will see is five teams that dominate, and the other 30-40 teams in a given county, that their daily results are unpredictable.

It’s good for the players. Bad for the game. I Think.

3. I Think I Know That Coral Springs Can Make A Run To The Final Four

Ok, so I’ll preface this by saying, they will likely have to go through St. Thomas or Doral to do it, but hear me out from there.

The Colts current district has only one other team over .500, in Fort Lauderdale. Their regional path should keep them in the four or five seed, which means a very winnable regional quarterfinals match up.

From there, they will need to find a way to beat one of the aforementioned teams. Long shot? Yes. But it is fun to think about four weeks into the season.

3 Things I Don’t Know

1. Whether Douglas Is Vulnerable For The First Time In Years

The easy thing to do, is to pile on to the Eagles for their 7-3 start. Or for the fact that they have lost to Miami #3 Columbus, and Broward #1 and #2, St. Thomas and West Broward, all in the first three and a half weeks.

That gives the Eagles three losses at a time of year where they are not used to having three losses.

But, and here is the but. Those losses have come by a combined six runs.

Everyone is always excited to root for the downfall of an empire, but something tells me this excitement may be premature. The Eagles still have one of the top MLB draft prospects in ace Gio Rojas, which will keep them in any series or game come playoff time.

They also have a bunch of young guys they have been breaking in through the early part of the season.

This stays in the Things I Don’t Know category now, to be revisited at a later date.

2. I Don’t Know If This Is The Year West Broward Breaks Through

Talent has not been the issue for the Bobcats over the past several seasons. They have had as much talent as any team in Broward over a five year span.

The issue has been getting over the mental hump of taking out Columbus or Douglas.

I want to believe that a convincing 9-4 win over Douglas, a game in which they scored seven earned runs off Rojas, will give them the confidence to finally get over the hump.

The Bobcats are an easy team to believe in this year. They have the top of the rotation pitching. They have an offense that can score runs. And all that is left between them and a trip to Fort Myers, is a mentality check come playoff time.

3. I Don’t Know If We Will See Some Of The Upsets We Saw In The Playoffs Last Year

This stays on the common theme of the day, which is, there is just too much disparity of talent between the top and bottom of the county.

We used to go into the district tournament knowing that every year, there would be some 8-17 team, that would upset a 21-4 team. A young stud arm would pitch the game of his life. An unknown hero would emerge with a big hit for the underdog.

The problem this year is, the young arms have all jumped ship, and the unknown hero has left for greener pastures.

Could it still happen? Sure. And as a baseball junkie, I root for that. Just don’t know whether we will see it or not.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!