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John Benedetto

Land O’ Lakes seeks new football coach

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Land O’ Lakes High School athletics department underwent a search for a new head football coach in 2018.

The school again is heading back to the drawing board to find the next leader of its varsity football program, a mere two years later.

Chad Walker, who coached the Gators in 2018 and 2019, resigned from his post to become the head football coach at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa; the private school made the announcement official earlier this month.

Chad Walker resigned from Land O’ Lakes High School to become the head football coach at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The Gators program went a combined 9-11 in his two seasons. (Courtesy of Cambridge Christian School Athletics)

Walker’s exit from Land O’ Lakes marks the only varsity head football coaching vacancy in Pasco County this offseason.

Walker undoubtedly has big shoes to fill at his latest stop. He replaces Bob Dare, who in 11 seasons steered Cambridge Christian to five straight playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2A state title game in 2015. Dare also is Cambridge’s all-time winningest football coach, with 72 victories. Walker takes over a team that went 8-3 last season and reached the 2A regional semifinals, losing to Admiral Farragut.

Walker’s tenure at Land O’ Lakes was somewhat of a mixed bag, after he replaced former coach Brian Wachtel, who held the post for seven seasons from 2011 to 2017.

In Walker’s first season in 2018, the Gators went 7-3, narrowly missing the playoffs, but achieving its first winning campaign since 2013, restoring some confidence in the historic program.

Perhaps just as important that year, the Gators finally supplanted crosstown foe Sunlake High in the annual “Butter Bowl” rivalry game — the first such victory in eight years. (Land O’ Lakes did win the Butter Bowl game in 2011, but it was later forfeited due to recruiting violations.)

The 2018 team also saw wins over Citrus, Cypress Creek, Lakeland Christian, Pasco, Anclote and Fivay high schools, respectively.

Walker’s second season was a reversal of fortune, though.

The 2019 team slumped to a 2-8 mark, its only wins coming against Freedom and Zephyrhills Christian schools. And, most of the team’s losses were blowouts, with a 31-point loss, three 40-plus point losses and two 50-plus point losses, among others. All told, the Gators were outscored 137-363.

The Land O’ Lakes Gators varsity football team went 2-8 in 2019. (File)

The letdown season was a bit surprising, as the team returned All-Conference quarterback Ethan Forrester and added a couple of prominent assistant coaches, including former NFL players Aveion Cason and Kelvin Kinney. The team, however, graduated about two dozen seniors from the prior season, including eight All-Conference selections.

Walker joined Land O’ Lakes as a 33-year-old with a background as a veteran college football assistant, with stops at Division I FCS, Division II and Division III levels. He was an All-Conference tight end at Division I FCS Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, then parlayed that into a professional stint in NFL Italy and the European Federation of American Football. While at Land O’ Lakes, he worked for Tampa-based Applied Science and Performance Institute (ASPI), which provides advanced training and development to college and pro football players and other athletes.

The next leader of the Gators’ program will become the sixth football coach in school history. Besides Walker and Wachtel, previous head coaches were Matt Kitchie, John Benedetto and Dan Sikes.

For many years, Land O’ Lakes had one of the top football programs in Pasco County, earning a string of 14 straight playoff appearances from 1997 to 2009 under coaches Benedetto and Kitchie.

But, the team hasn’t made the playoffs since, as recent success of other programs in the county — as well as an ever-challenging district — have made winning consistently a tall task.

The team will have to groom a new starting quarterback with the graduation of Forrester, but the bulk of the roster is expected to return in 2020.

Published January 22, 2020

Pasco High gets new football coach

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Pasco High School will have a new head football coach roaming the sidelines, for the first time in more than a decade.

The school recently announced its next head coach is Jason Stokes — a coaching mainstay in the Tampa Bay area, most notably at Gaither High School.

Jason Stokes has been named Pasco High School’s football coach. (File)

Stokes, 43, replaces longtime Pasco coach Tom McHugh, who was relieved of his coaching duties following four consecutive losing seasons, including a 2-8 mark this past year.

Stokes most recently coached at Lake Region High School, in Polk County. The perennially struggling program went winless in his lone season there.

Stokes has achieved coaching success elsewhere, however.

In 2017, he served a season as offensive coordinator at Indian Rocks Christian High School, which went 9-3 and reached the 2A regional finals.

He’s best known for his time at Gaither, from 2011 to 2016 — steering that program to playoff appearances in each of his first three seasons. (He later resigned in the middle of the 2016 season after reports surfaced about using ineligible players, which led to three games forfeited that year.)

Before that, Stokes was the head football coach at Bloomingdale (7-5 in 2008) and Middleton (10-10 combined record in 2009-10) high schools.

In taking over for McHugh, Stokes undoubtedly has big shoes to fill.

McHugh compiled an 86-50 mark in 12 seasons, winning six district titles (2007-12) and two regional titles (2008, 2011).

He is the county’s fifth winningest coach in public schools, behind John Benedetto (195 wins at Land O’ Lakes), Tom Fisher (124 wins at Zephyrhills), John Castelamare (103 wins at River Ridge, Mitchell) and Scott Schmitz (94 wins at River Ridge, Mitchell).

McHugh also coached a trio of Pasco players who would go on to the NFL— Josh Johnson, a former San Diego Charger and Jacksonville Jaguar cornerback who now plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League; Janarion Grant, a wide receiver currently on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad; and, Joey Ivie, a defensive tackle currently on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.

Yet, the Pirates have struggled in recent years under McHugh, going a combined 10-30 the past four years. Moreover, the program suffered four straight defeats to crosstown foe Zephyrhills High School in the annual 9-Mile War rivalry game, losing those games by an average margin of nearly 40 points.

Despite the difficulties of late, the Pirates do have a young roster stocked with promising players.

That includes linebacker Gabriel Barnes, tailback Malcolm Gibbs, receiver Darrion Robinson and lineman Savion Spaights, who will all be juniors next season, as well as rising seniors in quarterback Desmin Green, defensive back Jordan Mclaughlin and offensive/defensive tackle Cody Rand, among others.

New Sunlake football coach Trey Burdick, left, pictured with former Sunlake all-star linebacker Adam Jarvis. (Courtesy of Trey Burdick)

Meanwhile, Pasco isn’t the only local school to undergo a coaching change this offseason.

In early December, Sunlake High School named assistant Trey Burdick as its next head coach, to replace the now-retired Bill Browning, the only head varsity football coach in the school’s history.

Burdick, 36, has been an assistant at Sunlake since 2008, where he’s coached linebackers, tight ends, special teams, and served as the team’s recruiting coordinator; he’s also been the school’s head track coach for six years, a role he’ll continue as head football coach.

Prior to Sunlake, Burdick was an assistant for two years at Tallahassee Godby High School, working under Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Famer Shelton Crews. He also played football for Tallahassee Lincoln High School, where he was a member of the 1999 6A state championship team.

Sunlake is coming off back-to-back 4-6 marks. Before that, from 2010 to 2016, the Seahawks strung together seven consecutive winning seasons and four playoff appearances.

Published January 16, 2019

New Land O’ Lakes football coach embraces program’s traditions

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Chad Walker, a veteran college football assistant, is bringing his experience to Land O’ Lakes High as its new head varsity football coach.

He is replacing Brian Wachtel, who resigned in November after a combined 25-42 mark in seven seasons. His only winning season was in 2013, when the team went 8-3.

Walker, was among 40 applicants for the position.

The Pennsylvania native was selected from a field of 11 applicants interviewed for the job, according to Land O’ Lakes High School athletic director Michael Frump.

Chad Walker has been named Land O’ Lakes High School’s new varsity head football coach. The 33-year-old has a decade of coaching experience, primarily at the postsecondary level. (Courtesy of Chad Walker)

At 33, Walker is relatively young. But, he doesn’t lack experience. He’s coached at the postsecondary level for about a decade.

His stops include Division II Pace University in New York, where he served as offensive coordinator/quarterback coach; Bridgton Academy in Maine, as head coach; Division III Kenyon College in Ohio, as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; Division I FCS Lafayette College, coaching linebackers, tight ends and special teams; and Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, as defensive line coach.

Several of those roles required rebuilding and transforming losing programs into stable ones, Walker said.

He looks to do the same at Land O’ Lakes.

“I coached at Kenyon College, where we hadn’t won a game in four years. Pace University, the same sort of thing. So, I’ve always been a part of these turnaround jobs. I’ve really kind of learned what works, what doesn’t work,” Walker said in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Walker’s playing career also is notable.

Groomed as a tight end, he earned four varsity letters at Lafayette from 2002 to 2005 and was a Patriot League All-Conference selection in 2005.

He later played professionally for two years in NFL Italy as a player/coach and the European Federation of American Football in Sweden. A knee injury ended his playing career and routed him to coaching.

“Football’s my passion,” Walker said.

For the past year, Walker has served as director of football operations/quarterback coach at Tampa-based Applied Science and Performance Institute (ASPI), which provides advanced training to elite athletes and pro football hopefuls. He now is overseeing logistics for nearly 50 football players, as they gear up for the NFL Combine.

At APSI, he’s gotten to work alongside former Tampa Bay Buccaneers like Yo Murphy, Reidel Anthony, Booger McFarland, Todd Washington and others.

“Being around these former NFL players, seeing how they relate to the guys, seeing as how they coach on the field during position drills and different things — it’s really continued to help me grow, not only in the football side of things, but also in life,” Walker said.

While he balances his duties at APSI, Walker has been familiarizing himself with the Gators program.

He’s met with current and prospective players and assistant coaches, and has observed offseason workouts and weightlifting sessions.

He’s also spent time watching film of the 2017 season, evaluating returning players and their skillsets, while scouting team opponents.

He’s also in the process of filling out the rest of his coaching staff.

“One thing that caught my eye about Land O’ Lakes was the tradition,” Walker said. “Obviously, there’s some things to be done, but there’s some tools in place,” he added.

Walker becomes Land O’ Lakes’ fifth head football coach since the program started in 1975. In addition to Wachtel, previous head coaches were Matt Kitchie, John Benedetto and Dan Sikes.

For many years, Land O’ Lakes had one of the top football programs in Pasco County, earning a string of 14 straight playoff appearances from 1997 to 2009 under coaches Benedetto and Kitchie.

However, the recent success of other programs in the county — as well as an ever-challenging district — have made winning consistently a tall task.

Despite taking over a Gators program in the midst of four straight losing seasons—and a 4-5 mark in 2017— Walker is optimistic about the future.

Said Walker, “I don’t necessarily think there’s an overhaul that needs to be done or a complete cultural change because I do think there’s a foundation there that you currently don’t see at a lot of places when people talk about, ‘Well, there hasn’t been success in the past.’

“I think Coach Wachtel laid a pretty sturdy foundation with that, and now it’s just to try and take it to the next level, and obviously get guys to buy into what my philosophy is and what our foundation’s going to be, and just learn to compete and to grow,” Walker said.

Part of that starts with encouraging more Land O’ Lakes athletes — such as the school’s basketball players — to join the football team.

“There are definitely athletes in the school right now I think can benefit not only the football program, but could benefit them as well,” Walker said, adding he went to see a Gators varsity basketball game within the first few weeks of being hired.

The new coach is mum on the types of schemes he plans to implement on offense and defense, but described it as “something that I’ve been successful with, and something I think the kids will enjoy as well.”

He added: “At the end of the day, it’s about the kids and bringing back some excitement in the Land O’ Lakes football program. We’re going to be, I think, fun to watch on Friday evenings.”

Playbooks aside, the Gators should have budding talent to work with — on both sides of the ball — in 2018.

Leading rusher Kyle Leivas, who tallied 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017, is expected to return for his senior season, teaming up with a promising quarterback, Ethan Forrester, who will be a junior this season.

On defense, the Gators are expected to return its top three tacklers in linebackers Myron Bloom (76 tackles, two sacks) and Clayton Hendriksen (75 tackles, 1.5 sacks), and safety Nate Howard (66 tackles, one interception).

Meanwhile, Walker’s experiences — especially as a college coach — may yield additional recruiting and scholarship opportunities for some of those Land O’ Lakes players.

“I do think one thing that is beneficial that I do bring to the high school level is the understanding of recruiting,” the new Gators coach said.

That includes such things as “how to market yourself to a college coach” and “how to market yourself to an admissions office academically,” he said.

There are also other things that need to be addressed, including community service and “growing yourself as a young man to put yourself in the right position,” Walker said.

NOTE: Spring practices begin in Florida on April 23; the first allowable day of contact practices is April 28.

Published February 21, 2018

Land O’ Lakes High head football coach resigns

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Land O’ Lakes High School’s varsity football program will have a new leader in 2018.

Brian Wachtel, the Gators head coach since 2011, stepped down following the team’s final regular season game on Nov. 3 — a 36-6 win over Fivay High School.

Wachtel, 39, announced his decision to principal Ric Mellin prior to the game.

Land O’ Lakes athletic director Michael Frump said the school will advertise the coaching vacancy after the Thanksgiving holiday

Brian Wachtel has stepped down as Land O’ Lakes High’s varsity football coach. A search for his replacement will begin after the Thanksgiving break. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

The Gators finished the 2017 season 4-5 overall, with a 1-3 district mark.

Wachtel’s entire seven-year run offered mixed results.

He posted just one winning season (8-2 in 2013) and a combined 25-42 record — including an 0-10 mark in 2011 where games were forfeited as a result of an ineligible player.

The Gators also failed to register a victory over rival Sunlake High School in the annual “Butter Bowl” during that period.

Wachtel came to Land O’ Lakes with considerable fanfare in 2011, after posting a 13-7 record in two seasons at Mitchell High School. His career as a coach began nearly 15 years ago as an assistant at his alma mater River Ridge High School, where he quickly rose up the ranks in the profession.

Land O’ Lakes historically has fielded one of the top football programs in Pasco County, earning a string of 14 straight playoff appearances from 1997 to 2009 under coaches John Benedetto and Matt Kitchie.

However, the recent success of other programs in the county and an ever-challenging district made winning consistently a tall task.

While the Gators win-loss column left much to be desired, Wachtel and his staff mentored several athletes who advanced to the college ranks, at the NCAA Division I, II and III, and NAIA levels. Among them is Samford University’s Shaheed Salmon, a preseason FCS All-American who’s quickly developed into one of the nation’s most productive linebackers.

Additionally, Wachtel this year coached five players who’ve been selected to the Pasco County Senior East-West Classic—wide receiver Taylor Winn, offensive tackle Justin Collier, offensive guard Guston Farr, defensive tackle Xavier Arroyo and linebacker Matt Geiger.

Projecting forward, the Gators next coach should have budding talent to work with — on both sides of the ball — in 2018.

Leading rusher Kyle Leivas, who tallied 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, is expected to return for his senior season, teaming up with a promising quarterback Ethan Forrester, who will be a junior next year.

And, that’s not all.

The Gators defense is expected to return its top three tacklers in linebackers Myron Bloom (76 tackles, two sacks) and Clayton Hendriksen (75 tackles, 1.5 sacks), and safety Nate Howard (66 tackles, one interception).

Published November 15, 2017

Pasco union leader seeks to unite, engage district workers

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Kenny Blankenship’s earliest recollections of union activity go back to his childhood, when his dad — a member of the United Steel Workers — would take him to the Tampa Theatre for annual holiday parties.

Kenny Blankenship
Kenny Blankenship

Kids would leave the theater with bicycles, toys and other presents, Blankenship said.

But he also recalls seeing his dad on the picket line.

Those early images of union life aroused Blankenship’s desire to join a union when he got a chance, and that happened in 1997 when he became a teacher at Land O’ Lakes High School.

Over the years, Blankenship’s involvement in the union grew, and in March, he was elected president of the United School Employees of Pasco.

As its new leader, Blankenship is encouraging Pasco County Schools employees to become more involved in union activities. He also wants to build stronger relationships between the district’s instructional staff and non-instructional employees.

“We want to work to strengthen our organization and the unity between the two units, because we’re not just a teachers’ union,” Blankenship said. “We’re wall-to-wall. We’re bus drivers, instructional assistants, secretaries, food service workers, the maintenance crews, custodians.”

Many people view unions as organizations that protect the weakest link, but that isn’t true, Blankenship said. However, the union does make sure the employees it represents are given due process.

“A lot of people don’t get that,” he said. “The union is there to protect your contractual rights, and to ensure that you get a fair shake.”

And while that’s important, it’s far from everything that a union has to offer for employees, Blankenship added.

The union lobbies to represent employees on important education issues. It negotiates wages and working conditions. It provides support for members needing help with classroom management, curriculum issues and working conditions, Blankenship said.

The union advocates “for the best working conditions possible, because our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions,” Blankenship said.

Along those lines, the union lodged a complaint in March with the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission over teacher planning time. The complaint alleges that teachers are spending so much time in meetings with their professional learning communities that it is usurping time intended for individual planning.

That issue remains unresolved. But in recent negotiations, the district has agreed to increase the protected planning time for teacher’s individual planning activities. That increased time, Blankenship said, “should provide some relief for our teachers.”

Planning time is crucial for teachers to prepare for lessons, Blankenship said. It allows them to secure materials to support lessons that bring learning to life and help students gain understanding.

Blankenship uses the analogy of a football game to help explain the importance of planning.

“How much practice goes into preparing for a Friday night football game?” Blankenship asked. In the same way that coaches prepare for games, teachers must prepare to deliver quality instruction.

While planning their lessons, teachers must consider the unique needs of every student in their classroom, Blankenship said.

“You’ve got to think about, Johnny over here has dyslexia. MaryAnn has auditory processing issues. Somebody else has cognitive issues,” he said. “And then, Jose just moved in from Mexico and can’t speak a lick of English.”

Teachers have to figure out how to reach those kids, while not overlooking students who are lagging behind, or making average progress or even excelling, Blankenship said.

“That’s what goes into planning,” he said.

Blankenship blames policy decisions by the Florida Legislature and budget cuts by Gov. Rick Scott for leaving public schools in a financial lurch.

“Right now, funding is less per student than it was in 2007,” Blankenship said.

Blankenship points to a move to “privatize public education” through charter schools and vouchers, which he said dilutes financial support for public education.

“The fact is that the political climate in Tallahassee is pretty much anti-public schools and anti-union,” Blankenship said.

Funding is so tight that teachers lack adequate supplies, Blankenship said.

“They don’t have the books for kids,” he said. “Last year, my daughter was a senior. I told the governor this: ‘My daughter is a senior at Land O’ Lakes High School and she can’t take a book home to study for her American government class or her economics class because all they’ve got is enough for a class set.’

“That’s frustrating for teachers. I know that’s frustrating for students,” Blankenship said. “And, it’s frustrating for parents because they want their kids to succeed in the classroom.”

The union leader also thinks there’s too much standardized testing in the schools.

“I think the amount of standardized testing that we’re forced to do is nothing short of emotional and psychological abuse of our students and teachers,” Blankenship said.

On the other hand, there is not enough opportunity for students who are not college-bound, Blankenship added.

“We’re not meeting the needs of those students,” Blankenship said. “Where’s pipe-fitting? Where’s welding?

“When I was in high school. Every school had a shop class, a building trades class, a drafting class – which would be CAD (computer-aided design) now,” he said.

It’s true that employees don’t have to be members for the union to bargain for their wages and working conditions, Blankenship said. To be represented individually by the union, however, an employee must be a member.

Despite difficulties that teachers face, being an educator remains a rewarding career, Blankenship said. That’s because teachers can make a real difference in the lives of their students.

“People like John Benedetto, Al Claggett, Max Ramos and Nancy Browning — those are teachers who inspired thousands, upon thousands of students,” Blankenship said.

In much the same way, the union wants to do what it can to help employees build on their professional strengths, Blankenship said. It also wants to help employees see the value of becoming a member.

“We invest in our clothes. We invest in our vehicles. We invest in our homes,” Blankenship said. “Why wouldn’t we invest in our profession?”

Published October 1, 2014

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