The Laker/Lutz News

Austen Wittish

Prep football mid-season review

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With the midway point of the 2017 prep football season recently passing by, here’s a look at some noteworthy teams and players in The Laker/Lutz News coverage.

Best team: Zephyrhills High Bulldogs (6-1 overall, 5-0 district)

The Zephyrhills Bulldogs have been dominant under second-year head coach Nick Carroll. (File)

Aside from an early season hiccup to Wiregrass Ranch (31-to-29 loss), the Bulldogs have planted themselves as one of the top — and most electrifying— teams in the Tampa Bay area, under second-year head coach Nick Carroll. Look no further than its balanced, yet potent offense, which is averaging 49 points and nearly 400 total yards per game.

And, Zephyrhills now stands alone at the top of District 8-5A after securing a 38-35 win over River Ridge on Oct. 13 — ending the Knights’ 23-game district win steak that spanned back to 2013.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ toughest remaining game is an Oct. 20 road matchup against Wesley Chapel (6-2 overall), which has won two straight games since the departure of its top player, senior cornerback Isaiah Bolden. (Bolden was dismissed from the team on Oct. 4 due to undisclosed reasons).

Should Zephyrhills win two more contests this season, it will mark the fourth consecutive year the program has won eight games.

Consideration for best team also given to: Gaither Cowboys, Wesley Chapel High Wildcats, Wiregrass Ranch Bulls, Zephyrhills Christian Warriors

 

Biggest surprise: Gaither High Cowboys (5-2 overall, 4-1 district)

The Gaither High Cowboys are looking for their first winning season since 2014. (Courtesy of Gaither High football)

The Cowboys have utilized an explosive running game (280 rushing yards per game, 7.7 yards per carry) and suffocating defense (13 points per game allowed) to become one of the toughest teams to face in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. Quite a feat, considering the Cowboys entered the season with just five seniors for first-year head coach Kirk Karsen.

Expectations this season were relatively tame, moreover, following the graduations of two Division I talents — linebackers Decalon Brooks and Estefano Feliciano — and top offensive playmaker in TJ Williams. Standout quarterback Gavin Denboer’s offseason transfer to Alonso High School didn’t help the team’s preseason outlook, either.

Though several of Gaither’s wins have come against struggling teams, the Cowboys quieted doubters after a convincing 23-13 win over Wiregrass Ranch on Oct. 6. In that game, the Cowboys rushed for a combined 259 yards, while garnering four sacks and forcing three turnovers.

With three regular season games remaining, the Cowboys look to secure its first winning season since 2014.

Consideration for biggest surprise also given to: Pasco High Pirates

 

Biggest slide: Sunlake High Seahawks (3-4 overall, 2-1 district)
While Sunlake was expected to be in rebuilding mode this season, it’s still startling to see a losing

Sunlake running back Bryant Beacham has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Seawhawks. (File)

record attached to the historically dominant program, under longtime head coach Bill Browning.

The Seahawks have had to mold a new quarterback and several starters, both on defense and at multiple skill positions.

A brutal regular season schedule hasn’t offered many favors, either.

Sunlake’s first three contests were against Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Wiregrass Ranch high schools — who have a combined 18-4 overall record.

And, it doesn’t get any easier, with road dates remaining against Mitchell High (7-0 overall) and River Ridge High(4-3 overall).

The Seahawks, meanwhile, will need to win two of its last three games to prevent suffering its first losing season since 2009. From 2010 to 2016, the Seahawks went a combined 60-16.

Disappointing season aside, Seahwawks fans have been able to witness one of the county’s top offensive playmakers, in running back Bryant Beacham. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior is averaging over 100 yards per game to go along with nine rushing touchdowns. He’s also on pace to become the program’s first single-season 1,000-yard rusher since 2014, when then-senior Nathan Johnson tallied 1,088 yards.

 

Five who’ve shined:

  • Charles Harrison III, senior quarterback, Zephyrhills High Bulldogs
    The three-year starter is arguably the county’s top signal-caller, tossing 21 touchdowns with just five interceptions, to go with a 62 percent completion rate.
  • Jordan Miner, senior cornerback/wide receiver, Wiregrass Ranch High Bulls
    The Penn State signee and four-star prospect has lived up to the hype as a jack-of-all-trades, making key contributions on offense (424 yards), defense (25 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed) and special teams (125 return yards).
  • Austen Wittish, senior linebacker, Wesley Chapel High Wildcats
    The 6-foot, 195-pound inside linebacker ranks among the state’s top tacklers (104 total tackles), to go along with five sacks.
  • Darrion Robinson, sophomore wide receiver, Pasco High Pirates
    The young 5-foot-11 wideout has quickly developed into one of the county’s most productive receivers, tallying 17 receptions for 412 yards and eight touchdowns.
  • Jeromy Reid, junior running back, Gaither High Cowboys
    The 5-foot-11, 190-pound tailback is having a breakout campaign, pacing all of District 8-7A with 863 rushing yards (123 yards per game, 9.5 yards per carry) and six touchdowns.Team records:
    The Laker/Lutz News coverage area includes the following schools from Hillsborough and Pasco counties:

    Hillsborough:
    Carrollwood Day School Patriots (Class 2A-Region 3): (2-3 overall, 1-1 district)

    Freedom High School Patriots (Class 7A-Region 8): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Gaither High School Cowboys (Class 7A-Region 8): (5-2 overall, 4-1 district)

    Steinbrenner High School Warriors (Class 8A-Region 6): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Wharton High School Wildcats (Class 7A-Region 8): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Pasco:
    Academy at the Lakes Wildcats (8-man-Florida Christian Region 2): (5-1 overall, 5-0 district)

    Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Hurricanes (Independent-Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC): (3-4 overall, 2-2 district)

    Cypress Creek Middle High School Coyotes (Class 4A-Region 3): (1-6 overall, 0-0 district)

    Land O’ Lakes High School Gators (Class 6A-Region 6): (2-4 overall, 0-2 district)

    Pasco High School Pirates (Class 6A-Region 6): (4-4 overall, 0-2 district)

    Sunlake High School Seahawks (Class 6A-Region 6): (3-4 overall, 2-1 district)

    Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats (Class 5A-Region 8): (6-2 overall, 4-1 district)

    Wiregrass Ranch High School Bulls (Class 7A-Region 8): (6-1 overall, 3-1 district)

    Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs (Class 5A-Region 8): (6-1 overall, 5-0 district)

    Zephyrhills Christian Academy Warriors (Class 2A-Region 2): (6-1-1 overall, 0-1 district)

–Stats compiled from Maxpreps.com—

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Wesley Chapel’s first-year coach finds early football success

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If the first four games are any indication, the Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats are on pace to have their first winning season since 2011.

Beyond that, the Wildcats (4-0)—the lone undefeated team in Pasco County— have the makings of a team capable of finding triumphs not seen since the early ‘00s, when the team was coached by John Castelamare.

First-year head coach Anthony Egan, far left, teaches the finer points of an offensive play during a Wildcats practice. (Courtesy of Wesley Chapel High football)
First-year head coach Anthony Egan, far left, teaches the finer points of an offensive play during a Wildcats practice.
(Courtesy of Wesley Chapel High football)

The Wildcats went a combined 35-8 from 2001 to 2004, and brought home three district championships.

In recent years, Wesley Chapel has been a bottom-feeder in Pasco County. Since their 6-4 season five years ago, the Wildcats went a combined 7-33 from 2012-2015.

But, under first-year coach Anthony Egan, the Wildcats’ recent struggles appear to be a distant memory.

Egan, a former offensive/defensive line coach at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, has guided the team to instant success—including a 50-0 thrashing of Gulf High School on Sept. 23.

While many might be surprised by the Wildcats’ blazing start, don’t count Egan as one of them.

“Once I got here and we started to put in the work, I knew we had a good group of guys,” the Wildcats coach said. “We were working our butts off in the weight room, and everything that we’ve asked them to do, they’ve been very good at making sure they get it done.

“I knew they would be a lot better football team than they were last year, and the year before.”

The team’s individual talent is better, too, starting with junior running back Dexter Leverett, who sat out last season after transferring from Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina.

The 5-foot-9, 163-pound playmaker ranks 11th in the state in rushing yards (684), averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

“He’s got it all,” Egan said. “He’s a power back, he’s explosive, and he’s got that top-end speed—the kid runs a 4.53 40 (yard dash). He’s just a really quick kid…and he can make cuts in the open field.”

Complementing Leverett is junior tailback Malik Melvin (202 yards, four touchdowns) and senior fullback Ellrie Allen (53 yards, two TDs).

“We like all our running backs,” Egan said. “Dexter’s just a guy in the spring that really stood out to us.

“We just have a multi-facet approach back there, and we’ve got three guys that can really tote it pretty well for us right now.”

Seeing the depth in the backfield allowed Egan to seamlessly transition from a spread offense to a power-run game over the course of the team’s offseason.

The move has paid off, with the Wildcats averaging an eye-popping 292 rushing yards per game.

“We saw the athletes we had and said, ‘We’ve got to focus more on the run game and get this line blocking’… and it’s paying dividends right now on offense,” Egan said.

The Wildcats’ defense, too, has quickly made significant strides.

In 2015, the Wildcats—under former coach Tico Hernandez—allowed 30.2 points per game. Through four games in 2016, the unit has surrendered just 11.5 points per game.

“Defensively, I saw a lot of issues (from 2015) on film with tackling and pursuit, so…we drill the heck out of that every day,” Egan explained. “We preach intensity, tackling, pursuit, and the guys really work hard at that.

“We don’t see many breakaway runs,” the coach added. “We’ve been able to get good angles on guys and make tackles, and limit those (would-be) 60-yard touchdowns to 15-yard plays.”

Two key cogs shoring up that side of the ball are a pair of juniors in highly touted defensive back Isaiah Bolden and middle linebacker Austen Wittish.

Bolden, a transfer from Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, is a consensus four-star recruit, boasting more than 20 Division I college offers.

Bolden’s range and pure athleticism Egan said, is a major deterrent to opposing quarterbacks in throwing to his side of the field.

“If he gets his hands on the ball, he’s gone,” Egan said. “It’s kind of passer beware—if you’re going to throw it over there to that guy, there’s a good chance he gets his hands on it and makes a huge play for us.”

Meanwhile, Wittish—who notched 14 tackles against Ridgewood on Sept. 16—was praised by Egan for his ability to shed blocks and fill gaps to limit opposing running games.

“He…just has a good nose for the football,” Egan said.

The Wildcats don’t appear to show signs of slowing down, especially considering how the rest of their schedule lines up.

With its next two games against Fivay (0-4) and Hudson (2-1), the Wildcats have an opportunity to remain undefeated going into their bye week on Oct. 14.

To do so, Egan said the team must continue to dominate games from start to finish.

“We want to make sure we set the bar high,” he said, “and keep playing to that level.”

Winning Wildcats
A look at Wesley Chapel’s wins so far:

  • 13-3 road win against Land O’ Lakes High (Aug. 26)
  • 34-21 home win against Pasco High (Sept. 9)
  • 42-22 home win against Ridgewood High (Sept. 16)
  • 50-0 road win against Gulf High (Sept. 23)

Q&A with Coach Anthony Egan
What’s the transition been like going from an assistant to a head coach?
“Being the head guy in charge has its big benefits and its…challenges to the job. It’s a ton of responsibility—paperwork, fundraising—a lot of things…you’re in charge of. It’s been very challenging at times, but, the risk is worth the reward. Everything that we’re doing out there, and all the time that the kids are putting in and giving it back to us, it makes it worth it.”

How has senior quarterback Jacob Thomas adjusted from a spread-oriented offense to a run-based offense?
“He’s bought into everything we’re trying to do. He’s getting the touchdowns and stats. He’s getting the yardage; he’s just not having to throw 40 times. …He’s all on board with throwing the ball five times (per game) for two or three touchdowns.”

Are you comfortable with the team’s depth through the remainder of the season?
“Right now, we’ve got guys in certain positions that we’ve got good depth at, and we’re a little thin in other places. We’re always trying to rectify that. We don’t want to sell the farm, so to speak, and bring up our (junior varsity players), but we’ve got a lot of depth down there—kids that can come up and help us right away. But, they’re freshman, and we want to make sure that they’re getting their reps. “In the program, we have plenty of depth, but week-to-week, we’re kind of stretched thin sometimes. …By the end of the season, when we bring some of these guys up, we’ll have plenty of depth.”

Published September 28, 2016