Academy at the Lakes football head coach Shawn Brown anticipated a team turnaround before the season.
He was right.
After three consecutive losing seasons in the eight-man football ranks, the Wildcats are in the midst of one of its best in program history, with a state title in reach.
The team currently stands at 9-1, including a 7-0 mark in Florida Christian Region 2 — worthy enough for a No. 2 ranking in the state among all eight-man schools.
And, they’re just a win away from reaching the FCAPPS (Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools) championship game.
Most recently, the Wildcats downed Canterbury 54 to 6 in the state quarterfinals on Nov 17.
(Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)
The playoff blowout isn’t a shock. The Wildcats have scored an average of 51 points per game this season while allowing just 15.2 points per game.
That season-long dominance has allowed Brown and his coaching staff to build depth among its 24 active players — utilizing backups in place of starters during second-halves of several games.
“It’s been really neat to watch the whole dynamics of a true team, overall,” said Brown, who is in his fourth season as head coach. “Our starters giving up a lot of playing time for our backups to get in, and our backups this year have gotten a lot of playing time.
“Most teams don’t beat people like we have, where the backups get a lot of playing time.”
The team’s next game is Dec. 1 against Orlando’s Eastland Christian (10-1) — the only team to defeat the Wildcats this season, back on Sept. 7.
The Wildcats lost that matchup 50-35, despite entering halftime with a 28-14 lead. Brown explained dehydration and cramping issues among several starters stymied the team in the second half.
“We probably needed to be humbled,” Brown said, of the September loss. “We, as coaches, are reminding them that we’ve been on that losing side for so long, so we tell them to, ‘Respect the game.’”
Academy at the Lakes went 2-8 in 2016, after finishing 4-7 and 3-5 the prior two seasons.
Much of the past struggle can be credited to youth and inexperience.
This year’s team, however, is dotted with upperclassman and skill players.
Brown expected improvements this season, though not to this extent.
“Has it been a surprise to me to how we played? Absolutely. But, I can’t say we were going to come here and mop people like we have,” he said.
“At some point we were going to have a breakout season. It just happened to be this season,” he said.
Brown credits the team’s summer offseason program, which included weightlifting sessions three days a week, participating in Division I college camps, and competing in various seven-on-seven tournaments, sometimes facing 11-man schools from Classes 7A and 8A.
The work, Brown said, taught Wildcats “to be competitive.”
Pure talent and execution on offense is another key reason for the team’s historic run, added offensive coordinator Landon Smith.
Freshman quarterback Jalen Brown has displayed composure and maturity, throwing 11 touchdowns and just one interception.
Seniors Daniel Gonzalez (889 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns) and Isaiah Smith (17 receptions, 495 yards, 13 touchdowns) have been explosive playmakers, as has junior Jamaal Johnson (642 scrimmage yards, eight touchdowns).
“From one game to the next, we probably run about seven plays, and they just execute those plays very well. These kids are getting chunks of yards with the same play over and over,” Landon Smith explained.
“A lot of these kids have been here since eighth-graders, so at this point, they’ve had a number of years to learn this system. I like to think it’s the play calling, but I think it’s more of the kids and their talent and execution that’s making us, offensively, as good as we are,” he said.
The team’s defense likewise has flashed, posting a combined 59 sacks and 90 tackles for loss, 18 forced fumbles, and 13 interceptions — which includes 10 picks by freshman cornerback Jordan Oladokun, the younger brother of University of South Florida quarterback Chris Oladokun.
“I think what’s really leading to our success this year is we’re having fun,” said Jalen Brown, the son of head coach Shawn Brown.
“We’re winning, and starting new traditions and everything. The atmosphere is totally different this year than it was last year. We’ve got handshake celebrations and everything. Our defense cheers for our offense, and our offense cheers for defense.”
Seniors, too, are cherishing the 2017 campaign and what remains.
“It’s been an honor. It’s been an awesome ride,” Daniel Gonzalez said. “I wouldn’t want to end my senior year any other way. This is a heck of a ride. I’m having a lot of fun; all these guys are so into it, and everyone wants to win a state championship this year.”
Isaiah Smith defined this season as “awesome and inspiring.”
“Last year it was like having training wheels, and we were just getting our feet wet, to be honest. Now, this year, it’s kind of showing what we can do now,” Smith said.
“I think it’s just a statement of how far we can go to reach the top.”
Game-by-game results:
Aug. 25: at Citi Christian Academy (40-22 win)
Sept 7: Eastland Christian (50-35 loss)
Sept. 22: Canterbury (48-16 win)
Sept. 28: Solid Rock Community (80-0 win)
Oct. 2: at Saint Lucie Christian (49-12 win)
Oct. 13: Lakeside Christian (40-21 win)
Oct. 20: at Donahue Catholic (36-0 win)
Oct. 27: Seacoast Christian Academy (68-7 win)
Nov. 3: at Hernando Christian Academy (57-29 win)
Nov. 17: Canterbury (54-6 win)
Published November 22, 2017
