Shipman fired at Palm Beach Lakes

Moise steps down at South Plantation

There will be a new coach on the sidelines at Palm Beach Lakes next season.

Palm Beach Lakes fired football coach Al Shipman after seven seasons, Shipman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. He was Palm Beach County’s longest-tenured coach. The news was first reported by the Palm Beach Post.

Shipman said a combination of detractors outside the program, poor performance on the field and disciplinary issues led to his ouster.

“I had some people that were really against me that ... were constantly calling the district, constantly writing emails, petitions to have me removed, and along with us not having a great season, along with ... some disciplinary things that happened throughout the season that I honestly felt I could’ve handled a little bit better,” Shipman said.

“I’m one for not necessarily turning the other cheek but trying to give a kid every opportunity to change and to grow and things of that nature, and a few of those naysayers, I probably should’ve done some things with those student-athletes sooner.”

Shipman, who is a Palm Beach Lakes alumnus, went 35-39 during his tenure with the Rams. He made the postseason in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

In 2019, Lakes went undefeated in the regular season and won the program’s first district title since 1996. The Rams won a playoff game before falling to Venice in the second round of the postseason. He was the Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 8A-6A Coach of the Year and the Sam Budnyk Coach of Year winner at the Groza Awards banquet.

However, the Rams struggled during the past two years. They went 1-6 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and went 2-8 this year.

“I just feel like there was a lot of pressure coming from the outside, along with we didn’t perform well, along with some things I probably could’ve handled a little differently or better, for lack of a better word,” Shipman said. Shipman said he was proud of the way he left the program, including raising money to build a new locker room, get new uniforms and more. He thanked former Lakes principal Dr. Cheryl McKeever for hiring him and current principal David Alfonso for keeping him on.

“[I] thank everybody for all the love and support,” Shipman said. “It was heartwarming the amount of text messages and phone calls and things on social media that I got . ... It was really heartwarming. Brought me to tears.”

Shipman didn’t rule out coaching again in the future, but he said right now he’s focused on enjoying some time off and helping his former players get recruited.

“As much as it bothered me, as much as it hurt me, I am equally relieved and relaxed at this point in time,” Shipman said. “So I am definitely not trying to rush in and dive into another coaching position right now.”

Moise steps down: After one season at the helm at South Plantation, Gary Moise decided to step down. The news was first reported by Florida HSFootball.com.

Moise said his desire to spend more time with his family was his prime motivation for leaving South Plantation.

“This is like a coach’s plight,” Moise said. “I was spending more time with the kids than I was with my own child. That kind of weighs on you, coming home and your 4-year-old daughter is like, ‘Daddy, I don’t get a chance to see you.’ ”

Moise’s one year with the Paladins was not easy. It was a tough one. They went 1-9 with their only win coming against Northeast. South Plantation was outscored 391-54 in its 10 games.

Despite the team’s struggles, Moise said he thinks South Plantation is a prime position for someone who can build the team into a winning program.

“The right guy can build this, as far as fan base-wise,” Moise said. “The fans want a winner. If they start winning here, the stadium would be crazy.”