American Heritage lost talent, but not the drive to compete

PLANTATION — American Heritage hears the talk from the outside — that the Patriots won’t be back in championship form after losing so much talent from the team that won the school’s fourth state title in five seasons.

But internally, there’s a quiet confidence around the team which has won 27 consecutive games and back-to-back championships.

“It’s all right. We’re just going to do what we do. We’re going to put in the work every day, and we’re going to play ball on Friday nights,” senior safety Kamryn Giles said at practice on Tuesday. “They can think that. We’re just going to do what we do.”

Added senior tight end Beau Johnson: “We’re going to be quiet, keep working, and everybody will see.”

It’s a lot to replenish, no doubt. Cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) and Tyson Campbell (Georgia), defensive linemen Nesta Silvera (Miami) and Andrew Chatfield (Florida) and offensive playmakers such as Anthony Schwartz (Auburn) and Miles Jones (Nebraska) are just some of the players who have moved on.

“We lost a lot of guys, but the thing is, you just don’t know the people we have yet,” said junior linebacker Andy Garcia. “We’re just as competitive, just as talented. We just have to prove to everybody this year that we are those guys.”

Coach Patrick Surtain believes in the players now stepping up into leadership roles after learning from those who spread out to top college football programs.

“These kids that have been in the program, they understand the winning culture, and that goes a long way,” Surtain said. “I know we lost a lot of talent from last year, some great football players, but we have some guys coming back who are hungry and ready to prove themselves.”

In addition to top returners, Heritage has bolstered its roster with talented transfers, namely two recent ones in former Oxbridge linebacker Dorian Jones, a senior and Indiana commit, and sophomore safety James Williams, who came over from Miami Pace, is viewed as a top prospect in his class and is committed to Miami.

“It’s pretty similar. It’s a good group of guys over here. They’ve got more depth. It wasn’t as much depth at Oxbridge,” Jones said. “It gets you better.”

Surtain called Williams “the 6-4 albatross back there who’s going to erase every mistake.”

While much high-end talent has graduated, Surtain feels he has more depth than the team maybe has ever had.

The secondary is 12-14 players deep, so there will be no problem going into nickel or dime packages and rotating cornerbacks and safeties.

Jones, Garcia and Ruben Hyppolite man the three linebacker spots, and defensive ends Derek Burns (Archbishop McCarthy transfer) and sophomore Dallas Turner excite the coaching staff.

A number of upperclassmen on the offensive line have transferred in to beef up the Patriots up front. They’ll block for running backs Tyler Jones, Lavelton Williams (Fort Lauderdale transfer) and Brandon Cohen (Doral Reagan).

Junior Edwin Rhodes takes over at quarterback, and Surtain feels he’s cerebral at the position and can spread the ball to his receiving corps.