By Kyle LoJacono
The Academy at the Lakes six-man football team went 7-5 last year and made the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) playoffs.
That was Wildcats coach John Castelamare’s first season leading a six-man program after spending 38 years teaching traditional football in Pasco County public schools. He and his team have learned from 2010 and are predicting more success now.
“I’ve coached football for most of my life, but I had to learn what it takes to coach six-man football,” said Castelamare, who coached the sport at Wesley Chapel from 1999-2009. “There were things that I’d done for years that don’t work in six-man. Plus the kids had to learn what it takes to play.”
Sophomore center Isaac Kloeotek agreed with Castelamare: “We’re all much more used to six-man football. Growing up, you play flag football or regular football, but you don’t usually play six-man. Now we’re more comfortable with it.”
The transition was even more difficult for senior quarterback A.J. Carlson, who had never played tackle football before 2010.
“Before last year I had only played flag football,” Carlson said. “I remember the first two days we had pads, I had to get used to throwing with them on. It’s a lot different throwing with a big shoulder pad on your arm. I had to skip the preview hitting routines to learn how to throw again. I had to go through all the little things to get the throwing motion down.
“It’s a lot different playing quarterback at this level,” Carlson continued. “Just little moves to the left or the right is what can make or break the whole play. I had to get used to all those basics because it was a whole new experience.”
The Wildcats started off slowly in 2010, losing their first two games, but won five straight and seven of the final 10 contests.
“I feel like we really meshed as a team toward the end of last season,” Carlson said. “I think we might have been playing a little bit better and we might have been more skilled, but I think it was more about us coming together as a team.”
Carlson said the atmosphere is significantly different from this time last year.
“Everyone has been going out of our way to help each other,” Carlson said. “We’re trying to keep that family togetherness going. It’s becoming more important to us. Now that most of us have had a year to mesh together, I think there’s going to be more of a team effort and a want to succeed for others.”
Patrick Pate, who played under Castelamare as a guard at Wesley Chapel High before graduating in 2009, helped lead the Wildcats workouts this summer. He is currently a junior at the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, and said he is not surprised the academy is taking off after a year with his former coach.
“I’m in ROTC at Ole Miss and will be a commissioned officer in the Army when I graduate, and I still use what coach Cass taught me at Wesley Chapel,” Pate said. “I use the same training and the disciple he taught me. He’s a great coach and a great mentor.”
The academy football ranks have swelled from eight players during last spring to 21 now.
“We’ve been working to get the excitement up with the program and get the kids interested in playing here,” Castelamare said. “The school has done a great job getting us what we need and supporting our program.”
Carlson said the new players and a year of experience for the veterans will serve the Wildcats well this season.
“Now that I know the basics, as well as everyone else knowing the basics of our system, I think we can focus on the nit-picky details,” Carlson said. “We can focus on making all the plays looking crisp because we don’t have to think about how we’re going to do it. We’ll just know.”
The academy will play its first game on Friday, Aug. 26 at home. The kickoff is at 7:30 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.
