The King is Dead (or at least Sleeping). Long Live the Commodores.
In Brevard County, high school football is usually a monologue. For the better part of a decade, the conversation has started and ended with the Cocoa Tigers. They are the standard, the measuring stick, and the bully on the block.
But if you watched closely in 2025, the monologue became a debate. And if you looked at the tape, the debate ended with a new answer.
The best football team in the 321 this year wasn't wearing orange and black. They were wearing Commodore blue.
This isn't a hot take born out of boredom; it is a reality born out of resilience. Because what the Eau Gallie Commodores did this season wasn't just "win games"—it was survival of the fittest.
Remember Week 1? When quarterback Joseph Allen went down with an injury, the season could have ended right there. Most teams fold when they lose their QB1. Most teams start looking toward next year.
Eau Gallie didn't blink. They just reloaded.
Head Coach Chris Sands didn't panic; he leaned on a roster that is so deep it feels unfair. They didn't just survive Allen's absence; they thrived, securing a "3-Peat" as District Champions. Winning one district title is a good season. Winning three in a row is a dynasty in the making.
And if you want to know why college scouts are setting up camp in Melbourne, look no further than Captain Rolle. The kid isn't just a player; he’s a walking offer sheet. He has so many Division 1 offers it will make your head spin, and he plays with a swagger that says he knows exactly how good he is. When you pair him with Oregon commit Xavier Lherisse , you have a secondary that is essentially a "No Fly Zone" for opposing quarterbacks.
The argument for Eau Gallie starts, obviously, with Xavier Lherisse. The Oregon commit was the best player in the county, period. You don't replace a guy who runs for over 100 yards a game, intercepts passes on defense, and acts as the emotional north star of the program. He was a cheat code in cleats.
But the scariest part for the rest of the county? It wasn't just the seniors. It was the youth.
If you haven't learned the name X’Zavier Corbin yet, you are late. To have a freshman come in and rack up 15 total touchdowns and average nearly 95 rushing yards per game is absurd. It signals that Eau Gallie isn't just "up" for a year; they are built to stay. When you pair that with the defensive havoc caused by Kayden Jaquez and Gabriel Player, you have a team that dominated both sides of the ball in a way no one else in the county could match week-to-week.
Critics will point to the scoreboard. They will point to Cocoa's historical trophy case. They will mention Eau Gallie’s heartbreaking playoff exit to Bishop Moore.
Let them. History is for museums. Football is played in the present.
In the present, Eau Gallie overcame the loss of their starting quarterback to sweep their district for the third straight year. They dominated the local circuit. They proved they don't need perfect health to win; they just need the ball.
As we head into the offseason, the rest of the county needs to realize the landscape has changed. The road to the title in Brevard no longer runs exclusively through Tiger Trail. It runs through Commodore Boulevard also.
Cocoa is still a giant, sure. But for the first time in a long time, the giant is looking up at the scoreboard.
The Commodores are the captains now.
