Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2011 Wharton football team ended a two-year string of missing the postseason.
Many of those players return, but one huge void in the backfield remains
unfilled.

If the Wildcats, who lost 34-14 in the regional quarterfinals at Orlando Dr.
Phillips, are to make back-to-back playoffs they will do it without powerful
running back Darius Page.

The
5-foot-8, 195-pound senior, who is expected to sign this week with Methodist
University in North Carolina, ran for 1,385 yards on 205 carries and 13
touchdowns while adding another 452 yards from 29 catches and another two
scores.

Page’s
presence kept the opposition guessing, which also helped sophomore quarterback
Chase Litton and the passing attack.

“With Darius running the ball and gashing the defense play after
play they’d bring the safety up,” Litton said. “When they did that we’d hit
them with the long ball. When they’d drop back we’d give it back to Darius.”

Wharton, which went 5-6 last season, was extremely balanced
offensively last year, averaging 176.5 yards passing and 175 yards rushing per
game while scoring 25.8 points. To remain versatile the squad must find new
options to carry the ball.

“We don’t have another Darius Page, but we have people like Jeff
Keil and Deon
Sampson who are different types of running backs,” Litton said. “Sampson is the quick
runner, and Jeff is the muscle to get those tough yards. They can both be on
the field to also keep the defense off balance, or rotate them. We’re missing
out on a 1,000-yard rusher in Darius, but we’re going to have a two-headed
monster.”

Keil and Sampson totaled 29 carries for 156 yards and four scores last year while
kicking in 19 catches for another 351 yards.

Right tackle Deandre Brown, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound freshman, said the offensive line is
taking steps to help the running game stay on top.

“I’ve been working to move my feet better to drive through the defenders to open up
holes,” Brown said. “That’s the big thing is use your feet to get leverage.”

Wildcats coach David Mitchell said the run game has been the
focus in recent spring practices as Litton suffered a sprain to his throwing
thumb after getting it caught in a teammate’s helmet.

Litton may miss the spring game but is doing everything he can
in practice to stay ready.

“(Litton) did really well last year, but he can still work on a
lot of things,” Mitchell said. “He’s got to work on reading defenses and
working with his receivers. Understanding receivers is really important for a
quarterback.”

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound signal caller took over as Wharton’s
starter the final two games of his freshman year. Litton completed 134-of-236
passes for 2,056 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and said returning to the
postseason isn’t a topic of discussion.

“Playoffs isn’t a destination; it’s an objective,” Litton said.
“We’re not going to sit here and say we want to be a playoff team. We want to
be more than that. It’s great to get there, but we want to go far in regionals,
get to the final four and play in the championship game.”

The defense returns most of its key starters, including Vernon Hargreaves.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior is one of the highest rated defensive backs in
the country by many college recruiting groups and has been working to take his
game to another level.

“I’ve been working a lot with my defensive coordinator (Kiwaukee Thomas),” said
Hargreaves, who had two interceptions last year. “He played corner in the NFL
for the Bills and the Dolphins. We work on and off the field and we watch film
together.”

Another
key defensive returner is junior Rocky Enos, who had a team-high 118 tackles
last season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder is moving from outside to inside
linebacker.

“I’ve
been putting on some weight to move to the middle, but I’m working to keep my
speed,” Enos said. “I’ve still got that footwork and can run a 4.7 (seconds) in
the 40 (yard dash), so it doesn’t bother me what position I play.”

The
Wildcats will need to be clicking on all sides of the ball to compete for the
Class 8A-District 6 championship. Also vying for the title is the defending
state champion Plant, which went 14-1 last year.

“I
think hands down we should be at least district runner-up, but maybe even
district champs,” Litton said. “It’s Plant’s rebuilding year. Plant doesn’t
have a down year, but I think with our coaches and guys we can be a very
dangerous team.”

Hargreaves
added that there is a different feel in practice this spring.

“Last
year’s team we had a lot more energy,” said Hargreaves. “We’re more mellow this
year, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think we know what it takes to
accomplish our goals and we’re not all nervous about it.”

Enos added, “We’re upset about losing that playoff game, and I think there’s just a
lot more belief that we can make it back and win a playoff game this year.”

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Kyle LoJacono

Four
more Sunlake football players joined the college ranks May 11.

Wide receiver Jamal Jones and rush defensive end Paul Scott will play at West
Virginia Wesleyan College, a Division II program. Offensive lineman Canon Clark
signed with Northwood College, a Division II school in Michigan, and athlete
Mike Lopez will attend Sterling College, an NAIA team in Kansas.

The quartet moves the total number of Seahawks to sign this year to seven, a
program record.

“That’s part of getting the program built up, and now schools
are looking at our players,” said Bill Browning, the only coach in program
history. “We’ve had scouts look at some guys on next year’s team, so I think
they’re starting to really see this is a place to find college players.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Jones, who will study technology or
business, led the Seahawks with 557 receiving yards and a program-record 12
touchdowns last fall. He said Wesleyan’s spread offense intrigued him.

“Things really started to come together this season,” Jones
said. “Me and my quarterback, Cameron Stoltz, did a lot during the summer, and
I couldn’t have done this with him and my teammates, my coaches and my family.”

Scott made a living in the opposing backfield last season, tying
for a team-high five sacks while adding 63 tackles. The 5-foot-11, 225-pounder
came from Sickles as a sophomore and said his fondest memories are of Sunlake’s
two playoff games in 2011.

“It took us three years to get to the playoffs,” said Scott, who
will study criminal justice. “Those are probably my favorite memories of high
school; not just in football.”

One of the Seahawks trademarks has been its powerful offensive
line, where Clark played tackle.

“He was one of the main cogs in the offensive line here for
years,” Browning said. “We’re really glad to see him get a chance to move on.”

The 6-foot-1, 275-pound Clark, who had 14 pancake blocks last
year, will move to guard or center in college.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little
kid,” said Clark, who will study business administration. “I’ve dreamt of
signing a college scholarship, and it’s pretty exciting to get this
opportunity.”

Lopez, who will study athletic training, lined up all over the
field for the Seahawks. The 5-foot-8, 170-pounder rushed for 300 yards and four
touchdowns last year and added three sacks on defense. He will play in the slot
receiver in college.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Lopez said. “I’ve wanted to play
college ball since I started playing at Pine View Middle School. I’m excited to
represent Sunlake because playing here has been the best couple of years of my
life.”

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Kyle LoJacono

Academy at the Lakes senior guard Amelia Oliver was a shooter
from the first day she picked up a basketball at age 4.

She’s spent countless hours in gyms working on her shooting
stroke. That drive helped her develop into one of the area’s most lethal
outside threats, and also allowed her to land a spot with the Warriors of
Bacone College, an NAIA program in Oklahoma.

“I’ve got three siblings who play, and my mom and dad have been
playing their whole life,” Oliver said. “It was kind of a family thing.”

Oliver, who moved from Michigan after her sophomore year, made
her plans official when she signed her letter of intent May 17. Her journey
toward the college ranks picked up when she transferred from Sunlake as a
senior.

“When I came to academy I thought it would give me the
opportunity to do something like this,” said Oliver, who will study elementary
education.

She played volleyball and softball along with basketball with
the Wildcats.

Oliver’s team-high 18.9 points per game on the court helped the
academy go 23-6, win district and regional championships and make the Class 2A
final four. The softball squad also went 14-5, won a district title and reached
the regional finals.

“Volleyball I just played for fun, and it helped me to get to
know some of the girls on the basketball team,” Oliver said. “Then I started
playing basketball, and that was the greatest experience of my life. I’ve
always dreamed of doing something like that and make the final four. Softball
we got really far too, so I’m really thankful for this whole year.”

Oliver is the fourth Wildcat to sign with a college in 2012, the
third from the girls basketball team. The academy had 16 seniors play sports
this school year.

“I’ll put that percentage up against any other school out
there,” said Wildcats athletic director Tom Haslam. “I think you’ll see this as
the new norm here.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Wiregrass Ranch boys tennis coach and athletic director Dave
Wilson still remembers the first day Eric Busch came to tryouts two years ago.

“We had 25 kids, and I put them in five groups from the best
looking tennis players to the least, and we put Eric in the lowest group,”
Wilson said. “Then I saw someone serve and I instantly moved him up to the top
group.”

The move has benefited the Bulls since Busch’s family moved to
the area from Texas during his junior year. Wiregrass Ranch won consecutive
district titles and a pair of Sunshine Athletic Conference championships while going
16-2 in 2012.

Busch’s efforts earned him two trips to
the state tournament, once with his team last year and for doubles as a senior,
while also giving him the opportunity to play at Huntingdon College, a Division
III program in Alabama where he will study preveterinary care.

“It’s so amazing because so few people
get the chance to do this,” Busch said. “It’s been my dream to play tennis in
college since I started.”

Busch was drawn to the courts in sixth
grade because his older brother, Brandon, played in high school.

The newly signed Hawk went 9-0 in
singles play as a senior and 14-0 in doubles with teammate Courage Okungbowa. The
pairing won a district title to qualify for states.

Busch said he likes to stay at the
baseline to start matches before working his way toward the net. He said he has
been focusing on improving his groundstrokes to become a more complete player.

“I’m going to work hard this whole
summer so I can compete for one of the top spots as a freshman,” Busch said. “I
want to make an impact right away.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2011 Wesley Chapel football team had its first winning season in seven years, but the job to stay above .500 will fall on a new cast of characters.

The Wildcats (6-4) lost 19 seniors to graduation, including a Pasco County-leading 13 who signed to play in college.

“We’re young and inexperienced, which you’d expect losing so many seniors,” said Wesley Chapel coach Ben Alford. “We’re only returning four or five starters. Inexperience is going to be our biggest obstacle, so we have to scale back the schemes. We have to teach is the biggest thing. We need to teach some football IQ. We’ve got some smart kids so I think they’ll be able to get it, but we’ve got to teach it.

“Last year we had the kind of players where we could be sluggish and still win games,” Alford continued. “This year we can’t. We have to be perfect, but in a way it’s more fun for me because I have to spend more time with them and it’s more of a challenge.”

Alford said he will be leaning on returning starters even more than usual because of the high number of players with limited experience. One of those is junior defensive end Hunter Robinson, whose four sacks are the most of anyone remaining from 2011.

“I think I have to step up both on and off the field,” Robinson said. “I have to be more of a leader. We have some good potential with the young guys. We just have to work with them. If I show them I’ll play hard then they’ll play hard.”

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Robinson will also see time at right tackle on offense.

“We’re probably going to have to play both ways because we don’t have a lot of guys, so we’re all going to have to learn the plays on offense and defense,” Robinson said. “The thing is a lot of us can play both ways, so as long as we get in shape to play both ways and get everything down we should be fine.”

Another potential two-way player is sophomore outside linebacker/tight end Lawrence Harbottlefraticelli, who is known as Nalu.

“Nalu is probably the guy who knows football the most on the team,” Alford said. “He’s going to play everywhere needed. He plays linebacker and tight end, but if we asked him to play center he would do it without question and he’d get the job done.”

Nalu, who had 33 tackles and two interceptions last season, sees the defensive front seven coming together after losing its top-two tacklers and top sacker to graduation.

“I feel like we’re meshing,” Nalu said. “We’re going to miss those guys, but I think we have the players to fill those spots. I actually like playing on a young team because we can all stay together for a few years and build chemistry.”

The defense also returns safety Josias Vizcano, who posted 41 tackles and a team-high four interceptions in 2011. The sophomore will contribute at running back after the Wildcats graduated their leading rusher, Devin Piper (479 rushes, four touchdowns).

Also adding to the offensive backfield is sophomore Jose Perez.

“I just have to work hard to help fill that spot as much as I can,” Perez said. “I played running back before, but not at Wesley Chapel. I like playing running back because all you have to do is follow your blocks and don’t stop. Just keep things simple at the line.”

One position that is set is quarterback, where Ty Tanner will be under center. The 5-foot-8, 145-pound lefty is only a freshman, but he started five games last season and completed 51-of-96 passes for 815 yards and nine touchdowns with 249 yards on 69 carries and another six scores.

“We had a lot of seniors last year, including my brother, Keegan,” Tanner said. “Losing those guys is going to be tough and weird because the younger guys are used to having them around. I think I’ll have to be more of a leader, but we have some great seniors who are great leaders too.”

Alford has seen Tanner grow a lot since getting his first start at quarterback.

“It was good that he got to play some last year,” Alford said. “His first couple of starts he was nervous. Now he’s more comfortable, and he’s taken on a leadership role. He’s going to be fine.”

The team is young, but the Wildcats have no interest in taking a step back this season.

“We’re trying to get everyone’s mind right,” Robinson said. “When you’ve lost a lot sometimes you get used to losing. We don’t want to be like that. I feel like we’re stepping things up. We’re very competitive, and I feel like last season gave us some momentum.”

Wesley Chapel will get its first test in its spring jamboree at Sunlake May 25 at 7 p.m. Cross-town rival Wiregrass Ranch will also compete at the contest.

“When I heard we get to play Wiregrass in the spring game I was excited,” Tanner said. “They’re always the team we want to beat, so it’ll have a little more energy than a normal spring game.”

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

Land O’ Lakes football looks to regain playoff form

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Every high school football team has a goal of making the playoffs, but Land O’ Lakes has more motivation than most.

The Gators had their 14-year postseason streak snapped following a 7-3 year.

The program was dealt another blow in February when an internal investigation revealed an ineligible player had participated with the team the last two years. Land O’ Lakes had to forfeit every game since 2010, cutting one year off the playoff streak.

“We don’t talk about that; not at all,” said sophomore defensive end/fullback Shaheed Salmon.

The drive to get back to the top is great even if it isn’t a talking point.

“We’re trying to get back to Land O’ Lakes football,” said junior running back Harrison Wood. “It’s not talked about too much, but it’s understood that we have to step it up a notch. We know we have to do better than last year, and now we just have to do it.”

Second-year Gators’ coach Brian Wachtel added, “We set the bar at the top every year. You strive to be at the top regardless of what happened last year.”

Land O’ Lakes players have the advantage of spending a season in Wachtel’s system.

“I think they’ve done a phenomenal job learning, being disciplined, flying around and understanding what we’re doing on offense and defense,” Wachtel said. “There’s no doubt things are a little easier for them and for us teaching them in Year 2.”

The Gators did graduate several key offensive players, including four of the top five in receiving yards for last year. What the team does have is a lot of experience on the offensive line, where four of the five starters return.

“We’ve been together for a while; we know what the others are going to do,” said junior left tackle Justin Forchion. “With the O-line you work together to make things work, and all of us know what the others are going to do.”

Along with the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Forchion, the unit returns guards Frank Hegedus and Justin Claxon and center John Kranendonk while adding Garrett Lunn at right tackle. The line opens up holes for Wood to gain a team-high 789 yards on 141 carries and 10 touchdowns last season. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound back also caught 18 balls for 159 yards and two more scores.

“I’ve been working a lot on my hands,” Wood said. “I want to make sure I don’t fumble, and I want to be a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield as well.”

The established line and ground game will be a big help to freshman Ethan Weilant, who will be the starting quarterback.

“Ethan has really stepped up to the plate,” Wachtel said. “I’m very excited for what he can do. He gets out there, commands the offense and is a leader, no doubt about it.”

Salmon added, “He’s tough and shows no hesitation. He’ll run the ball up the middle, and he has an arm too.”

The 6-foot, 160-pound Weilant already has one start under his belt; a 52-3 win against Central where he completed 6-of-9 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

“It made me excited to get a chance to play,” Weilant said. “It was nice to have a good game in my first start.”

The defense suffered its biggest losses at linebacker.

Inside linebacker Jackson Cannon and weakside linebacker Shadow Williams combined for 151 tackles and 6.5 sacks last year as seniors.

The rest of the defense was relatively untouched by graduation.

“Internally we’ve got Colin Irwin, Spencer Curtis and Darius Wells,” Wachtel said. “We bring back Kyle Forchion at outside linebacker and Justin Forchion helping on the defensive line. We’ve also got some offensive line guys who are doing some stuff on the defensive line, so there are a lot of guys who know what we’re trying to do on defense.”

Salmon said the defense is working to improve its reaction now that they all know the system.

“We’re working to all get quicker,” Salmon said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. Not just faster, but quicker at making reads.”

Salmon will also be a weapon at fullback thanks to his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame.

“No one is going to want to tackle him,” Wachtel said.

Land O’ Lakes will get its first test in the spring game at home against Fivay May 24 at 7 p.m.

“I’m excited,” Weilant said. “Our team is ready to get out there and play and bring this team back to what it was before when it was making the playoffs every year.”

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

By Kyle LoJacono

The Steinbrenner football team felt ready for a district championship and to make its first postseason a year ago, but injuries and inexperience dashed those dreams.

The returning Warriors are using lessons learned from a 7-3 campaign to take that next step.

“We’re hungry,” said junior inside linebacker Logan McKnight. “We want a district championship and to go way farther than that.”

Steinbrenner did have the first winning season in the program’s three-year history, but came up short in two critical district games.

A pair of fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown, doomed the Warriors in a 35-25 loss to Tampa Bay Tech, and a season-ending injury to fullback Jake Carroll disrupted the offense in a 37-7 loss to Gaither.

“Last year our goal was to win districts and make the playoffs, but now I think we have a better sense of how hard we need to work to get there,” said sophomore quarterback Curtis Fitch. “Last year against Gaither and Tech we weren’t mentally there. We don’t want to feel that again.”

Carroll, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound sophomore, tore the ACL in his right knee on the opening kickoff against Gaither in Week 5. He said watching his team fall to their rival was tough.

“First of all, I don’t really like Gaither, so to go out in that game made it even worse,” said Carroll, who had 240 yards on 34 carries last year. “It got on my nerves that they won.”

Losing Carroll changed what the Warriors did with their run-heavy wing-T offense, but it helped them find a new weapon — halfback Kendall Pearcey. The junior ended the season with a team-high 776 rushing yards on 98 carries and 11 touchdowns, earning him All-Laker/All-Lutz News Offensive Player of the Year honors. He added 142 receiving yards and two scores and another 441 yards on punt and kick returns.

“It meant a lot because before I haven’t been able to contribute very much,” Pearcey said. “Getting 15-plus carries a game and averaging more than seven yards a carry was great because I always wanted to be able to help the team when it needed me.”

Pearcey is also recovering from a broken right ankle suffered in the season finale against Middleton. He won’t play in the spring game to make sure he is ready for the fall. Once healed, Steinbrenner will have two reliable backfield options.

“Me and Jake splitting carries is going to wreak havoc because they don’t know who to cover,” Pearcey said. “They can’t cover Jake coming up the middle and me coming around the outside, so it’s an undecipherable offense for any defense.”

Fitch said the tandem is critical for the passing game.

“Whenever they get the ball they pick up yards, but when I fake it to them everyone bites,” Fitch said. “That opens up the pass. They make the whole offense better.”

The Warriors must completely rebuild their offensive line after losing six members, including every starter. One who is filling a void is 6-foot-2, 260-pound junior left tackle Chris Harrison.

“The line we have now all came in together from Martinez (Middle),” Harrison said. “There’s a lot of chemistry, especially between myself, our right tackle Blaine Tucker and Zack Goldsmith our guard. Our center, Nick Bosco and Oliver Lack, our other guard, came in last year, so we’ve worked together for a while.”

The defense brings back all but three starters. One returner is McKnight, who led the squad with 96 tackles and seven sacks last season.

“The guys we lost were big parts of our defense, but we think we’re ready,” McKnight said. “My bold prediction is we’re going to let up the least amount of points in the county.”

Steinbrenner travels to Alonso to play in the second half of the spring jamboree against the host May 24 at 6:30 p.m.

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches

New coach, new mentality, new outlook

By Kyle LoJacono

Freedom football has known nothing but change in its nine-year history.

The Patriots have had five coaches since 2006 and have made the playoffs only once in that stretch, a first-round exit in 2009. The program has a 17-32 record in that time, 6-13 in district.

Consistency has been lacking at all levels of the program, but changes by new coach Todd Donohoe have brought fresh confidence this spring.

“Our goal is to make states this fall,” Donohoe said. “I think we have the players and coaches to get there. We’re not just going to accept average or OK or even good. We’re striving to be great.”

Donohoe, who played inside linebacker at Dunedin, spent four years as an assistant at perennial powerhouse and defending Class 6A state champion Armwood before starting Strawberry Crest’s program.

“We’ve had some good coaches, but coach Donohoe has changed this into a legit program,” said junior running back/cornerback Nate Godwin. “Everything we do is building the program, and we’re doing more fundraising too. He’s kind of bringing that Armwood swagger to Freedom.”

Donohoe said that building starts before kids see a high school field.

“It’s about developing the varsity, the junior varsity and working with the youth football programs,” Donohoe said. “That’s how you make a program.”

Along with a new attitude, the players have seen major changes in the structure.

“Everything is a lot more together,” said junior outside linebacker/tight end Isaac Tanner. “Practices are a lot more efficient. I won’t say they’re better, but we get a lot more done. Last year we basically had one coach, so it was harder to get all the reps in and correct.”

Sophomore offensive tackle/inside linebacker Dillon Browne added, “I see us coming together a lot more as a family. We’re more as a brotherhood, and I’m seeing a lot more competition, which is fun. … We’ll be talking to each other on Facebook and Twitter about who’s going to dominate in practice. We hit each other and see who the best of the best is, but after practice we all come together again.”

That togetherness and organization is evident before the Patriots hit the field. Prepractice workouts, which were unheard of last season, are done in unison.

“We work out as a team and we practice as a team,” Godwin said.

The defense was Freedom’s strength last season, and that side of the ball has the potential to be stronger with several big additions to the line.

“Defense wins championships, and our defense is looking great,” said Tanner, who had 75 tackles and a team-high seven sacks last season. “We got some guys who just grew and we got some new kids transferring in. We’ve got some giants out there. Both of our ends are 6-foot-4 or taller; one’s a freshman (Scott Patchan) and one’s a sophomore (Malik Robinson). It makes my job easier.”

Donohoe has changed the base defense to get more linebackers on the field and is happy with how fast the players have picked up the system.

“I’m really excited about all three levels of our defense,” Donohoe said. “We’re going to let our big and fast defensive ends work around the edge and let the linebackers come from different places to confuse the offense.”

Donohoe said he believes in keeping players on one side of the ball to let them fully understand the position and plays. The exception is with Browne, Godwin and Tanner.

“Thank goodness they’re smart kids and have been around for a while,” Donohoe said. “We can count on them to do both and they make everyone better.”

The offense lost its leading rusher and top-two receivers, but has continuity at quarterback with 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore Taylor King. He has gotten playing time since his freshman year and became the starter in Week 5 last season. He completed 46-of-98 passes for 526 yards and one score in 2011.

“The whole offense has been working hard to learn the new playbook,” King said. “Everything has been coming together fast because we’re much more organized. … If our offense keeps learning the plays like we are now I think we’ll be good. We’re ahead of where we were at last year. We’re good on the physical side, but we need to get a little better with the mental side.”

Donohoe has seen changes in King in just the last few weeks.

“He’s showing more poise, leadership and attitude,” Donohoe said. “That’s one thing we preach in everything we do is we’re developing leaders.”

The Patriots play at King High for their spring jamboree May 24 starting at 6:30 p.m.

–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches