Nobody can accuse Land O’ Lakes High School of having a poor season in 2013.
They went 8-2 and held half their opponents to 14 points or less — including two shutouts — while scoring more than 30 points in each of six games. In many respects, they were a dominant team.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
For most schools, those results might be good enough for a district title, or at least a playoff berth as district runner-up. But the Gators stayed home for the postseason because their two losses were to district foes Springstead and Sunlake, who finished ahead of them in Class 6A-District 6.
Head coach Brian Wachtel expects his team to remember what happened and apply some of those lessons from last season.
“It’s like being in a 100-meter race and the last 20 yards just not being able to kick it in,” Wachtel said. “And I think they’ve grown from that and worked hard and learned a lot from it. And they’re going to put a lot of that into this upcoming season.”
And the upcoming season should feature a good number of those players back in the huddle. Land O’ Lakes will return eights starters on offense from last year, including several skill positions. Having that many players return on one side of the ball is an asset for a team looking to build on last year, the coach said.
“I think it’s great for consistency when you have guys back that know what they’re doing, they’ve been in the system, they’ve got game experience, they’re more seasoned,” Wachtel said. “I think that definitely helps you when you’re going into the season.”
One of the returning players is quarterback James Pensyl. He was one of the area’s top passers last year with a nose for the end zone and a knack for limiting turnovers.
Pensyl, who has made an oral commitment to Oregon State University, can tell the offensive line has improved just by having more time to execute in practice compared to last year.
“Going against our defense in practice (last year), I barely had any time to throw the ball,” he said. “This year I have time. I have the time I’m supposed to have. I can make my drops and make the reads.”
The receivers also are showing more experience, with good knowledge of the routes and where they’re supposed to be on the field, Pensyl said.
Wachtel, now in his fourth year coaching the team, acknowledges that they play in a competitive district with difficult opponents. But the Gators already have proven they can win games, and are looking to finish stronger than last season, when they went 2-2 over their final four contests after beginning the year with six straight wins.
How they finish will once again be critical to their playoff fortunes, but right now the team is more focused on how they’ll start their 2014 campaign. Their schedule is back loaded with district games — they don’t face a team that defeated them last year until mid-October.
But the Gators aren’t looking past Week 1. Wachtel doesn’t want his team worrying about future opponents when they have other teams to face first.
“There’s no sense in looking down the road because you’ve got to take care of everything in the beginning,” he said. ”We just go week by week.”
The players have bought into the system, aren’t looking ahead, and are making progress toward the kind of focus and consistency required to be successful, Wachtel said. He also credits the coaching staff with helping build a strong foundation for a winning program.
But in the end, it’s not the assistant coaches nor Wachtel himself who will determine the team’s outcome in 2014. For all the preparations, game plans, workouts and practices, it’s the players who will have to take care of business when the games count.
“Those are the guys who’ve got to pull it off out there on Friday night,” Wachtel said. “We can put them in a position to be successful, but they’ve got to pull the trigger.”
And Pensyl is eager to do just that, by leading a team that will try to limit mistakes and play up to its potential.
“We’re definitely a playoff-caliber team,” he said. “We’re the only team that can keep ourselves from the playoffs.”
LAST YEAR: 8-2
2-2 in the district
third place in Class 6A-District 6
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
James Pensyl, quarterback
Ethan Weilant, wide receiver
Anthony Hendrix, safety
PLAYER TO WATCHConor Heaney, defensive line
“He’s a talented kid. When he cranks it up, he moves well. It’s a matter of getting out there on the field on Friday night and going 100 miles an hour.” — Coach Brian Wachtel
Gators 2014 Schedule
8/29 — at River Ridge
9/5 — Anclote
9/12 — at Ridgewood
9/19 — Mitchell
9/26 — Gulf
10/10 — at Hudson
10/17 — Sunlake
10/24 — at Fivay
10/31 — at Springstead
11/7 — Lecanto
Published August 27, 2014
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