By Kyle LoJacono
Sunlake is in uncharted waters.
The sixth-year program is coming off its first postseason berth following a trip to the regional semifinals.
Now, instead of trying to establish themselves, the Seahawks will get everyone’s best shot, which is something coach Bill Browning won’t let them forget.
“They’ve been reminded of it, and they’ll continue to be reminded,” said Browning, a 23-year veteran head coach. “The winning is still kind of new. It’s just been the last two seasons, and we certainly don’t want complacency to set in.”
Browning doesn’t expect that to be an issue considering how close the squad was to a regional finals berth, falling 21-14 at Gainesville.
“There was some disappointment walking off the field when we didn’t beat them,” Browning said. “I think that’s motivation for a lot of the guys to get back into that situation.”
Browning, the only coach in program history, has experience in this setup. He led Springstead to its first playoff berth in 1993. He said the key to consistent success is setting the bar high.
That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Sunlake.
“We’re still a little bit selfish,” said center Aaron Protch. “Last year wasn’t enough for us. Our goal every year is to do better than the year before. We’re going in wanting to take it all. We really do want it, and we’ve been working our butts off for it. I’ve never seen a group of guys work like this. We really want to get past the second round. We’re prepared to sacrifice for it.”
Protch is the only returning starter on the offensive line. He moves to center from guard where his experience can be better utilized.
The offensive line has been one of the program’s strengths, literally and figuratively. Last year’s center, Nate McCoole, won the Class 2A state unlimited state weightlifting championship.
While none of the current linemen are benching at McCoole’s level, all five are putting up more than 300 pounds.
“Our strength has actually gone up,” said Protch, who benches 350. “Nate is the strongest kid in the state, but just because he’s gone doesn’t mean we’re not still strong anymore.”
The offensive skills positions were also hit by graduation, including losing leading receiver Jamal Jones (557 yards, 12 touchdowns) and top three rushers in Jerome Samuels (536 yards, six scores), Rashaud Daniels (478 yards, four scores) and Mike Lopez (300 yards, four scores).
Sunlake returns receivers Eddie Burgos (369 yards, five touchdowns) and Ricardo Williams (237 yards, two touchdowns). Burgos said the squad still has plenty of playmakers.
“People always talk about what are we going to do without Jamal and Rashaud,” Burgos said. “Last year we were one team. We weren’t a single player, and this year is going to be the exact same.”
Another player looking to step up is quarterback Josh Zifer, who replaces Cameron Stoltz (1,735 yards, 28 touchdowns).
Zifer was a junior varsity quarterback at Pasco and got into several games for Sunlake last year, but he is still looking for his first varsity start. One of his greatest assets is his quickness.
“What I see from him that we haven’t seen in a lot of quarterbacks is pure speed,” Protch said. “In the pocket and out of the pocket it’s for real. He’s got the second fastest time behind Eddie (Burgos) in the 40(-yard dash). He’s fast, and when you bring that in we can run a lot more quarterback draws that really go far. In the past we had heavy-hitting quarterbacks. Now we’ve got one who moves like a wide receiver, which he played some last year.”
Zifer participated in the several passing camps this summer to improve his quarterback skills.
“It’s helped me do things like read defenses better by identifying things like cover 2 or cover 3,” Zifer said. “I’m also learning where to put the ball where only your guy can catch it. There’s a lot of openings in coverages that you learn.”
Browning said the defensive backs like Burgos and Joe Jean-Baptiste have stepped up, but other positions are still open.
There are fewer question marks up front.
“The defensive line we’ve got Nick Hoffman, Travis Manecke and Will Alvarez, and they should be as good as any defensive line in the area,” Browning said. “Linebacker wise we’ve got Ray Busbee back, we get a kid named Ben Wood back, who played the year before and is a very good linebacker. We also get Brogan Ronske back, who couldn’t play much last year because of some health reasons, and Brogan is going to be huge for us at outside linebacker. … Defensively, it remains to be seen, but we very well may be better than last year.”
Sunlake schedule
All games start at 7:30 p.m. Home games played at 3023 Sunlake Blvd., Land O’ Lakes.
Kickoff classic Aug. 23 at Fivay
Aug. 31 at Hudson
Sept. 7 vs. Wiregrass Ranch
Sept. 14 Bye
Sept. 21 at Springstead*
Sept. 28 vs. Mitchell*
Oct. 5 vs. Nature Coast*
Oct. 12 at Hernando*
Oct. 19 at Land O’ Lakes*
Oct. 26 vs. River Ridge *
Nov. 2 vs. Central*
Nov. 9 at Gulf
*Denotes district contest
2011 Seahawks (10-2)
Hudson W 48-0
Wiregrass Ranch W 36-0
Springstead W 49-16
Mitchell W 35-7
Nature Coast W 13-8
Hernando L 22-7
Land O’ Lakes W 21-10
River Ridge W 20-13
Central W 42-0
Gulf W 54-7
Ocala Vanguard* W 22-21
Gainesville* L 21-14
*Playoffs
