The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Colin Wray

Area fall football preview: Hillsborough County

By

The 2016 high school football season is just around the corner, and several teams in The Laker/Lutz News’ Hillsborough County coverage area enter the year with intriguing storylines, standout players and must-see matchups.

Carrollwood Patriots
Coach: Lane McLaughlin (10th year)
2015 record: 7-4
Spring Game result: 14-7 loss to Victory Christian

Freedom Patriots
Coach: Floyd Graham (1st year)
2015 record: 3-7
Spring Game result: 7-0 win over King High

Gaither Cowboys
Coach: Jason Stokes (6th year)
2015 record: 4-6
Spring Game result: 7-0 win over Sickles High

Steinbrenner Warriors
Coach: Andres Perez-Reinaldo (5th year)
2015 record: 9-2
Spring Game result: 18-0 loss to Alonso High

Wharton Wildcats
Coach: David Mitchell (12th year)
2015 record: 8-2
Spring Game result: 14-0 loss to Hillsborough High

Three teams to watch:

 

The Carrollwood Day School Patriots are loaded with talented playmakers on offense. (Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)
The Carrollwood Day School Patriots are loaded with talented playmakers on offense.
(Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)

Carrollwood Patriots
The Patriots, coming off a 7-4 season, appear to be one of the more interesting teams in Tampa this year. Despite being a smaller school, their youthful talent rivals many of the area’s larger schools. Armed with a bevy of playmakers on offense — quarterback Raymond Woodie III, tailback Yahsin Wooten, and receivers Nazir Achecar and Markeis Colvin — the Patriots are likely to rack up a lot of yards and touchdowns against foes. But, in order to take the next step forward, the Patriots must find a few pass-rushers on defense that can pressure opposing quarterbacks and generate sacks, due to the departures of Zac Watson-Parcels (team-leading 11 sacks), Devon Connors (10 sacks) and Corey Shamley (seven sacks).

 

The Gaither High Cowboys are looking for a bounce-back season in 2016. (File Photo)
The Gaither High Cowboys are looking for a bounce-back season in 2016.
(File Photo)

Gaither Cowboys
Despite coming off a disappointing 4-6 season, the Cowboys should have plenty to be excited about in 2016. After ending the 2015 campaign on a three-game win streak, the Cowboys return several impact players, including senior running backs Alex Rodriguez (805 yards, five touchdowns) and TJ Williams (391 yards, three touchdowns), and senior linebackers Decalon Brooks (114 tackles, five sacks) and Estefano Feliciano (73 tackles, six sacks). Though the team has several experienced playmakers on both sides of the ball, Gaither’s success may be determined by quarterback play — which must become more efficient. Gavin Deboer, the team’s incumbent quarterback from last season, struggled at times as a sophomore (48 percent rate, 10 interceptions.) If he can improve his touchdown-to-interception ratio and find a few reliable pass-catchers, Gaither may be in store for a winning season.

Steinbrenner High’s Warriors look to build off their stellar 9-2 mark in 2015. (Courtesy of Steinbrenner High football)
Steinbrenner High’s Warriors look to build off their stellar 9-2 mark in 2015.
(Courtesy of Steinbrenner High football)

Steinbrenner Warriors
Coming off a breakout 9-2 season, the Warriors are looking to keep the upward momentum going in the 2016 campaign. With holes to fill on offense and defense, Coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo will need several players to step up this season. Gone are the team’s top two offensive skill players — running back Jay Dantley (1,269 yards, 13 touchdowns) and wide receiver Justin Moffatt (41 receptions, 641 yards, 8 touchdowns) — and the team’s top four leading tacklers from last season. On a positive note, junior quarterback Colin Wray looks to build off his stellar sophomore season (56 percent completion rate, 1,634 yards, 13 touchdowns) with a few reliable targets at his disposal in seniors Brett Bitter (35 receptions, 600 yards) and Carson Kaleo (34 receptions, 277 yards). Helping the Warriors immediately is the addition of hybrid linebacker Devon Connors (53 tackles, 10 sacks), a 6-foot-3, 234-pound senior transfer from Carrollwood Day School.

Three players to watch:
Gaither senior linebacker Decalon Brooks
Decalon Brooks, the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer great and NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, is quickly making a name for himself. Brooks, who led the Cowboys in tackles (114) in 2015, holds several Division I offers, most notably from Florida State University and the University of Louisville. An inside linebacker at Gaither, the undersized Brooks (5-foot-10, 197-pounds) figures to transition to the safety position in college. Brooks, a consensus three-star recruit, is lauded by scouting services for his “aggressiveness, agility, athleticism and blitzing ability.”

Carrollwood sophomore quarterback Raymond Woodie III
Raymond Woodie III, the son of University of South Florida defensive coordinator Raymond Woodie Jr., will be a name to remember for the next several years. Just a sophomore, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback already has seven Division I offers, highlighted by the University of Southern California. In 2015, Woodie III put together a stellar season (1289 yards, 11 touchdowns.) More refined, he’ll likely raise his completion percentage (53 percent) and cut down on turnovers (nine interceptions) in 2016. Recruiting services praise the young quarterback for his “strong arm” and “ability to extend plays with his feet.”

Steinbrenner senior kicker Noah Ruggles
It’s not often a kicker makes a player-to-watch list, but Noah Ruggles is a rare case, considering he’s one of the top prep kickers in the nation. According to KohlsKicking.com, Ruggles is ranked No. 5 for the class of 2017, and holds an offer from Vanderbilt University. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior is known for his “leg speed and athletic frame.” Last season, Ruggles made 37-of-38 extra-point attempts and 8-of-13 field goals with a long of 51 yards for Steinbrenner. Kicking runs in the family — Ruggles’ older brother, Michael, earned a scholarship as a punter for the University of Texas at El Paso in 2013.

Three games to watch:
Sickles High at Steinbrenner High, Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Two teams coming off terrific 2015 seasons face off in a Week 1 rivalry game. Steinbrenner has the benefit of not having to matchup against former Sickles quarterback Chris Oladokun (1,390 yards, 15 touchdowns), who recently graduated. The last time these teams met was in 2014 — Steinbrenner won 15-7.

Tampa Catholic High at Gaither High, Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Gaither appears to be overmatched in this contest, but fans will get to see a lot of Division I talent on the field for both sides. If Gaither can play a ball-control game, leaving the prodigious Tampa Catholic offense on the sidelines, they have a chance to keep it close.

Carrollwood Day School at Cambridge Christian School, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
With ample experience on offense, Carrollwood will look to avenge last season’s 21-12 defeat to Cambridge Christian School. It won’t be easy, considering Cambridge returns most of their impact players from its 12-1 team in 2015. Also of note, Cambridge was undefeated (8-0) at home last season. Nevertheless, expect to see a lot of big plays and offensive highlights in this contest.

Published August 17, 2016

Record-setting start for Steinbrenner football

By

The Steinbrenner High School coaching staff knew its team was special when it defeated Riverview High School by a 38-17 margin on Sept. 18. That gave the Warriors a 4-0 start for the first time in school history, and eclipsed the team’s win total from last year’s entire season, when it won just three games.

Steinbrenner head coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo talks with linebacker Tyler Mirabella at practice. The defense has helped lead the Warriors to a 4-0 record. (MIchael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Steinbrenner head coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo talks with linebacker Tyler Mirabella at practice. The defense has helped lead the Warriors to a 4-0 record.
(MIchael Murillo/Staff Photo)

But coaches also knew the team was special when it defeated Chamberlain on Sept. 11 to go 3-0.

And, the week before, when the team defeated Blake High School to go 2-0.

The team had never done those things before, either.

In fact, it became the first varsity team at the school to even start 1-0 with an opening win against Gaither High School. (The team’s first victory in its inaugural season in 2009 counted as a junior varsity victory).

Head coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo had an inkling about their potential a lot earlier than the start of the regular season. In fact, the realization dawned on him late last year.

“I had a good feeling last December,” he recalled. “We were planning on starting our off-season conditioning in January. I had a group of these seniors come up to me and say ‘Hey coach, we want to start now, in December.’ When those kids do that and take that kind of initiative, that lets you know you have a special thing going on.”

If the team has been special, its defense has been spectacular. The defense gave up 17 to Riverview and allowed 10 points to Chamberlain, but previous outings were even better. Neither Blake (31-0) nor Gaither (13-0) put up any points against the Warriors.

The coach admits that a stifling defense is a big key to the team’s success and keeping opponents frustrated.

“Our defense right now is the heart and soul of the team,” he said. “If they (opponents) can’t score, they can’t win.”

It’s a philosophy that resonates with the players, and gets repeated frequently.

“As the defense we knew that we were going to really be the glue of the team. If they don’t score, they’re not going to win,” said middle linebacker Patrick Lukert in a separate interview.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound senior has helped the team off to its impressive start, but he’s not surprised. He expected to see scoreboard success after watching the players come together and focus before the games started. He just thought it would happen with a different quarterback.

Expected starter Cason Byrd suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Preseason Classic, meaning backup Colin Wray had to step in with little notice and perform.

He’s led the team to an undefeated record, the most wins in one season since 2012 and an opportunity to think about the school’s first-ever playoff berth.

Again, Lukert said he isn’t surprised.

“We have confidence in Colin. Colin’s been practicing just like Cason has. Since last December he’s been working out. We knew he was going to be all right,” he said.

The coach credits the entire offense for helping pick up the slack with a new quarterback behind center.

“Those guys, that wide receiver corps and offensive line and running backs have just rallied around our quarterback position, making him the best that he can (be). And that support has been huge for him,” Perez-Reinaldo said.

A strong start has created a lot of optimism and excitement, and the coach said it’s a product of athletes taking classwork seriously and buying into the program. It’s a lot of hard work, but after coaching for about 10 years (this is his fourth season at Steinbrenner), Perez-Reinaldo said it’s still fun.

“Friday nights. There’s nothing like it,” he said.

Steinbrenner Warriors 2015 remaining schedule
Sept. 25 at Riverview, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Manatee, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 at Newsome, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 16 vs. Palm Harbor University, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Alonso, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 at Berkeley Prep, 7 p.m.

Published September 23, 2015