Jupiter Warriors 4-0, Win Streak Nearing 20 Games — First-Year Coach Brooks Is Proving the Right Call

The Jupiter Warriors are 4-0 and closing in on 20 consecutive regular-season wins — and the man running the program is as Jupiter as it gets.

Josh Brooks, a 2013 Jupiter High graduate and former seven-year member of the coaching staff, took over as head coach in January after Jason Kradman left to join Lawrence University in Wisconsin. The transition was seamless. The wins have kept coming.

"I grew up here, went to school here, coached here for seven years before getting the head coaching job," said Brooks, who also teaches special education at Jupiter. "I'm Jupiter through and through. It's more than a job for me."

Brooks was Kradman's defensive coordinator for four seasons. When he took over, he kept running the defense himself in a 3-4 alignment — and the results speak for themselves. Through four games, Jupiter has allowed just 8.6 points per game and not a single rushing touchdown.

The best example of that defensive identity came last week in a 15-14 comeback win over Palm Beach Lakes. Jupiter trailed 14-0 at halftime, but the defense shut out the Rams in the second half. The game turned on a key moment that went beyond the headline: in the second quarter, with Palm Beach Lakes threatening to extend the lead to three scores, Ace Bogedain recorded a sack and forced a fumble that Jack Rief recovered. Later, safety Nick Bothe sealed the win with an interception.

"Coach Brooks runs everything — the conditioning, the weight room," Bothe said. "That's where we really bond. It's our brotherhood. We're different from every school, staying after practice to watch film."

On offense, Brooks promoted Kevin Embick from receivers coach to coordinator. Drew Larsen has scored a touchdown in every game this season. Harrison Fitzgerald and Brendan Hollinger are other offensive weapons to watch.

"Being a defensive-minded guy, we've bought into the physicality and violence aspect of football," Brooks said. "There's no time off in the weight room. We're physical in practice and we're physical on Fridays."

Jupiter seeks its 20th straight regular-season win on Friday, September 26, at Wellington (3-1) in a district matchup. The Warriors have moved into a new, expanded district with Santaluces, Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Lakes, Wellington, and Joaquin Garcia — which Brooks calls "one of the hardest districts in Palm Beach County."

The biggest circled date is October 16, when unbeaten Palm Beach Central comes to Jupiter.

"We beat them for the first time in 10 years last year," Brooks said. "One hundred percent, it will be a fourth-quarter game."

In past playoffs, Jupiter's run has twice been ended by Orlando's Dr. Phillips. This year, a realigned regional bracket would push that potential rematch to later rounds — giving the Warriors a clearer path.

"I like our chances in the playoffs a lot," Bothe said. "But districts are our No. 1 goal."