Football Preview 2019: Wiregrass Ranch

Keith Walker is a big playmaker for the Bulls.

Like overcoming injuries or a lack of depth, losing players to other schools has become another one of the problems facing high school football coaches across the country these days.

Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) coach Mark Kantor knows that more than most others. When the Bulls, 7-4 last season, open their season tonight at 7:30 p.m. at home against Zephyrhills, they will do so without two of their spring standouts — quarterback Hunter Helton and receiver Noah Biglow — both of whom have transferred to Armwood.

That will change some things for the Bulls, but it won’t change everything. Kantor says his team is rallying around new QB starter Rocco Becht, and still plans to make it to the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Can the Bulls do it again? Let’s take a look:

QUARTERBACK: The plan was to prepare Becht for the starting role next season. But, the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Anthony Becht and last year’s junior varsity starter, where he did well, has now been thrown into the varsity fire.

RUNNING BACK: Seniors Nate Miller and Keith Walker will be the starters in the backfield. Miller led the team in rushing last year with 468 yards and was tied with Walker with seven touchdowns. 

WIDE RECEIVER: Walker (pictured, right) is a playmaker in the backfield and in the slot, where three of his five touchdowns in the spring game came on receptions. He will be a valuable weapon on offense. Juniors Tyler Brueckner and Broden Guirl, who is a big target at 6-foot-3, spent last year catching Becht’s passes on JV and will both be varsity starters in 2019. Senior Julian Gonzalez, who tied for the varsity team-high in 2018 with 16 catches, is back as well.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Bulls have a wealth of experience up front. Connor Lenczden (the biggest lineman at 6-7, 275) and Robert Gibb will start at tackle, Daniel Thompson and Josh Hood will start at guard and Barit Dhugana handles the duties at center. All are seniors. 

“When they get after it, they can be as good as any offensive line I have ever coached,” Kantor says.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Seniors Tyler Hayes and Dylan Ridolph are linebackers who come up and play on the ends for the Bulls — they had 33 and 21 tackles for losses, respectively, in 2018 — and both are excellent pass rushers. Senior Gabe Thompson also will see time at defensive end, while Isaiah Miller, Andres Jimenez and Ian Alford all play inside. Like the offensive line, the Bulls starters are all seniors.

LINEBACKERS: Kantor has a solid crew, consisting of seniors Nick Graziano, Tyler Mesnekoff and Mark Kieper, as well as junior Craig Kailimai, but the best of the bunch and the squad’s leader is Ridolph, who had 82 tackles and 22 sacks in 2018. 

DEFENSIVE BACK: Senior Jonavon Tillis is a big corner at 6-3, and he will start alongside junior Larry Gibbs. Junior Grady Clower is the strong safety, and senior Julian Gonzalez is the free safety.  

KICKER: Adam Mihalek takes over as both placekicker and punter for two-year starter Hayden Wills.

THE FINAL WORD: Losing your quarterback less than a month before opening night can be a devastating loss, but the Bulls’ schedule may be an even bigger obstacle to overcome. WRH has six teams on its schedule that made the playoffs last year, and three of those teams won 11 or more games. Not a single 2019 opponent had a losing 2018 record, and the combined winning percentage of all 10 teams was a whopping .710. Yikes.

Football Preview 2019: Cypress Creek

Running back Andrew Burgess has big shoes to fill this season.


When Cypress Creek Middle/High School (CCH) head coach Mike Johnson looks out across the field during a typical practice these days, he can’t help but harken back to just three years ago.

Then, he had little more than a handful of kids show up for his first practice. Now, he sees more than 50.

“It’s amazing,” says Johnson, who is 3-17 in two seasons at the helm of the Coyotes. “I think this is a year we can definitely break out of that ‘You’re a first-year program’ image. We are ready to turn that corner and start climbing that mountain to run with all these other teams.”

Here’s how the Coyotes, who open their season tonight at Wesley Chapel at 7:30 p.m., are looking for Year 3:

QUARTERBACK: Jehlani Warren is the old man at quarterback this season — the senior is the only QB among Wesley Chapel’s three high school football teams that already has had any varsity starts entering 2019. Last year, Warren was 81-for-142 passing (57 percent) for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. This year, Johnson expects him to better those numbers. 

“He had a decent year,” Johnson says, “and I think he’s really ready to (break out).”

Junior Justin Lavine and sophomore Owen Walls will provide depth under center.

RUNNING BACK: Senior Jovanni Anderson (156 yards, 2 TDs) is the top returning rusher and will start. His ground-and-pound style will be complemented by sophomore scatback Andrew Burgess (photo), and junior Issac Walker is a combination of both styles.  

WIDE RECEIVER: Explosive senior Jalen Warren, Jehlani’s twin brother, returns after leading the team with 32 catches, 498 yards and six touchdowns last season. The Coyotes may have graduated four players who combined for nearly 1,000 receiving yards last season, but sophomores Dontrell Clerkley and Merrick Simmons are expected to replace those stats this season. Junior Brycen Hernandez will slide into the slot after playing fullback last season, and junior Colin Ostapchuk will contribute there as well. “It’s a deep group,” Johnson says.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Senior Kyle Cantwell (6-3, 250) can start at either tackle position and will anchor the line. Junior Paul-andre Tre’ also is a versatile tackle. Junior Jake DiMarco is the starting center, and seniors Kyle Florey and Noah Smith “have come a long way,” according to Johnson, and will start at guard, with junior Matt Lodge pressing hard for one of those spots as well. 

DEFENSIVE LINE: Cantwell will start at tackle, and Hernandez and senior Brody Gommier will be the starters at defensive end, but Johnson’s hope is that he won’t have to play his offensive line starters too much on the other side of the ball.

LINEBACKERS: Jalen Warren and Addison will be the starters at outside linebacker, and are coming off a season in which the duo finished 1-2 in tackles (77 and 73 respectively) for the Coyotes. Nine of Warren’s tackles were for a loss of yardage. Sophomore David Willins has earned one of the middle linebacker jobs, along with senior Sebastian Bramonte. Defensively, Johnson says his unit is coming together and playing faster and reacting this season instead of overthinking their assignments.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Simmons, Clerkley, Jehlani Warren, Ostapchuk Walker and junior Jonathan Garcia can all play defensive back, and Burgess and Clerkley will split duties at safety. 

KICKER: Senior Trace Wolden and junior Colton Corrao will handle the kicking duties.

THE FINAL WORD: The Coyotes graduated many of their playmakers, so guys like the Warren brothers and Burgess will play have to play bigger roles on both sides of the ball. Johnson isn’t ruling out a playoff berth, but a more realistic goal might be a .500 season, even though the Coyotes’ schedule only includes two teams (Wesley Chapel and Mitchell) that won more than four games last season and six opponents that won three or fewer. 

Football Preview 2019: Wesley Chapel Wildcats

Jelani Vassell

Jelani Vassell led the Wesley Chapel High (WCH) football team last season in rushing yards, receiving yards, kick return yards, interception return yards and scoring. He even found time to throw 19 passes.

To say Vassell had a target on his back when lining up against the opposition is a sizable understatement.

So, what is this year’s goal, according to Wildcats’ coach Tony Egan?

“We need to take the target off his back,” he says.

He thinks he has enough players to do just that, which in turn will make the Wildcats a better team and one that should contend for a playoff berth. Here’s how they stack up:

QUARTERBACK: Junior Owen Libby is the new starter, and recent Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) transfer Matt Helms, a sophomore, is right behind him. Egan said he’s never had depth at quarterback, so having two interchangeable signal callers is definitely a bonus. Neither has yet thrown a varsity pass, but Egan says they have both looked good this summer in 7-on-7 play and have a plethora of talented targets this season. 

RUNNING BACK: Senior Isaiah Cole was the starter last year (332 yards, two TDs), but he suffered a knee strain in camp and may be out for a while. Senior Quay Jones, a physical, downhill type runner, will step in and start the season in the backfield.

WIDE RECEIVER: Vassell, a senior, might be the best player in Pasco County, if not the most versatile. He averaged 30 yards a catch last season on 20 receptions, with six touchdowns. He also ran for 541 yards and eight scores, and returned two interceptions for 70-yard TDs. 

“He’s a tremendous player,” Egan says. “When we need something to go our way, he makes that play for us.”

Vassell will have lots of help this season, as junior Jon’tavius Anderson (more than 120 yards receiving in the spring game) and sophomore Nehemiah Morgan will line up alongside him. Another WRH transfer, junior Tyler Stinson, who is the younger brother of former WCH and current Florida State University player Isaiah Bolden, is expected to make an impact as well. 

“We’re pretty loaded at the skill positions,” says Egan.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Wharton junior transfer Tyre’ Brooks (6-0, 300) and junior Tyree Thomas (6-0, 285) give the Wildcats some serious beef at the guard positions, along with junior Logan Jeffrey, while Xzavier Owens starts at center and Kaleb Rivera mans the right tackle spot. The left tackle position is still open, although Egan says there are some solid candidates. 

Egan was formerly an offensive line coach at River Ridge, which set county records for rushing when he was there, and others with offensive line experience, like Matt Smith (Sunlake), Tom McHugh (Pasco) and Brian Colding (Pasco), have joined the staff from schools that historically have had strong lines. So, hopes are high that the offensive lines will be coached up in 2019.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Smith is the new defensive coordinator, and the switch to a defense that employs only three lineman will help keep the Wildcats from having to play so many of their offensive players both ways. Sophomore defensive tackles Gavin Paul and Jayshaun Bell are moving up from junior varsity and have shown promise.

LINEBACKERS: Senior Brenden Maddox, who Egan says “is a beast,” led the Wildcats with 95 tackles, 17 for a loss, last season, and returns as a starter on the outside. Sophomore Jordan McCaslin, the son of former Florida Gator Eugene McCaslin, will start at inside linebacker, along with Ramsey, and senior Steven Mira and Stinson will share time at outside linebacker.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: This might be the best group in Pasco County — Vassell and Anderson will start at the corners and Jones is the safety, and a host of others will rotate in. 

“Our two corners are hands down the best in the county,” Egan says. “There is no doubt in my mind.”

KICKER: Four-year starter Fletcher Martin handles both the kicking and punting duties.

THE FINAL WORD: Wesley Chapel has an exceptional amount of playmakers on both sides of the ball, and will put up some points this season. The last three seasons, however, they have been in the playoff hunt heading into their last two games, but have gone 0-6 down the stretch while getting outscored 252-61. If the ‘Cats can finish stronger, playoff football could be the reward.

No Pads? No Problem, As 7-On-7 Helps Prep Teams For Fall!

Wiregrass Ranch High quarterback Hunter Helton is spending the summer prepping for his first season as the Bulls’ starter by playing 7-on-7 football. (Photo: Andy Warrener)

Traditionally, high school football players have generally filled their summers the only way they can — by throwing the ball around, studying the play book, keeping in shape and hitting the weight room.

They aren’t allowed to wear pads in the offseason, so there is no hitting or tackling, and as a result, nothing to play.

But, 7-on-7 football has changed all that. What began as a simple practice drill, ubiquitous from high school all the way up to the pro level, has evolved into a highly competitive sport of its own. 

These days, the 7-on-7 “season” is red hot, offering a full-speed, no-contact (really, no more than light contact) way for athletes to hone their skills, build team camaraderie and even attract college recruiters. Increased participation has led to increased organization, and what began as a few local/regional tournaments here and there has evolved into a high-stakes competition that goes all the way to the national level.

.Promising Wesley Chapel High defensive back Jon’Tavius Anderson (left) goes up for an interception during a 7-on-7 game at Fivay High. (Photo: Andy Warrener)

Elite area 7-on-7 teams like Team Tampa compete in a national circuit of tournaments, and have a few national titles to show for it. 

Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) quarterback Hunter Helton, getting ready to enter his first year as the Bulls starter under center, led Team Tampa to a title at the Adidas East Coast Regional earlier this summer, and two weeks ago, Team Tampa made it to the elimination bracket at the national tournament held in Tampa before losing 17-14 in the first round. 

Current NFL star Cam Newton, the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders both coached teams in the event, which was crawling with analysts from recruiting websites. Some of the bigger events also receive cable television coverage.

What is 7-on-7?

The game of 7-on-7 football is exactly that — seven players against seven players. The offense is run by the quarterback, there’s usually a running back or two and then four or five receivers. On defense, 7-on-7 teams mixes usually mix in one or two linebackers and five or six defensive backs.

Quarterbacks have four seconds to unload the ball or it’s whistled as a sack. The teams play on a short field. The offense starts at the 40-yard line and can gain first downs at the 25-yard line and the 10-yard line. You either score, or you turn the ball over.

There are no running plays. Games are 21 minutes long and the clock runs continuously until the final minute. A player is considered downed or tackled by a simple one-hand touch, though it can get very physical during intense match-ups. 

The origins of the sport can be traced back to a drill called, “Pass Skel,” or “Skelly,” as some former players recall it. Pass Skel (pass skeleton), aka 7-on-7, is a mainstay practice drill.

Many coaches eschew the 7-on-7 format, saying it invites bad habits and does little to mimic the actual game. Others have embraced it and say keeping their players active, competitive and together is a big payoff.

If you’re are working in a new quarterback for your high school team, the summer circuit of 7-on-7 can be invaluable. 

“First, it allows you to practice with the football all year,” says Wesley Chapel High (WCH) head coach Tony Egan. “You develop chemistry between your quarterback and receivers and it helps you get your timing down.”

Egan and the Wildcats are hoping junior Owen Libby steps into the starting quarterback position in the fall of 2019, and they are getting him all the reps they can. The Wildcats played in the second annual King of Kings Tournament at One Buc Place, and currently field two teams in Pasco County’s summer 7-on-7 league held at Fivay High in Hudson. 

The competition also allows coaches to add more dimensions and levels to both pass play packages and to their defensive schemes. 

“The passing game in high school is 10 times more sophisticated now than when I played (in high school),” says former Tennessee Titans linebacker Ryan Fowler.

“Back then, if you faced a good quarterback, you might not have answers for him unless you had a good pass rush. The NFL has become more of a passing league, and college has followed that, so it’s natural for high school to follow it, too. (7-on-7) offers you months to work on things that you just don’t have time to work on in the fall.”

Coaches like Egan and WRH’s Mark Kantor have embraced the 7-on-7 game, and, with both their teams starting the fall with new starting quarterbacks, building that chemistry on offense will be a significant bonus.

But, they are quick to point out, it’s not “real” football and they often have to remind their players of that.

“The quarterback gets used to taking free drop backs,” Egan says. “We try to do things in practice to simulate pressure like have guys put their hands in the quarterback’s face or hit him with a blocking pad.”

Playing 7-on-7 also gets defensive backs conditioned into a pass-first mentality, and provides a test for linebackers, who often have to drop into pass coverage as well. 

“It can take time to break that habit,” Fowler said. “I’ll sometimes make them (defenders) do up-downs after the ball is snapped to slow them down so that their drops are more accurate.”

Egan makes his defenders take a forward run-step before he allows them to drop into coverage. 

Coaches have to be wary as well of not falling into a 7-on-7 trap of calling plays and running a defense completely different than they will in the fall.

“We try to run the same coverages we would run in a real game,” Egan said. “It might hurt us in 7-on-7 but we want our kids to know our coverages in the fall.”

Wesley Chapel Area Spring Football Recap

CYPRESS CREEK

Biggest Question

Tim Ford-Brown was the team’s leading rusher and second-leading receiver last year and, along with others in the first graduating class at Cypress Creek (CCH), will leave a big hole. Can anyone fill it?

The Answer

It’s unlikely, as the Coyotes are graduating about 85-90 percent of all of their offensive production from a year ago. Rising sophomore Andrew Burgess got the lion’s share of the carries and pass receptions in a disappointing 35-14 spring game loss to Pasco, but showed some durability and versatility. The Coyotes will still rely on rising senior twins Jehlani (the quarterback) and Jalen Warren (wide receiver and running back), but will need more help.

Spring Game Standouts

Fullback Brycen Hernandez scored both of Cypress Creek’s touchdowns in the spring loss on 2- and 4-yard runs. Dontrell Clerkley caught a 24-yard pass in the game. Defensive lineman Ameen Saed had a forced fumble on the first play of the game, but separated his shoulder doing so and sat out the rest of the contest.

Audible

“(Burgess) is someone we’re going to move around a lot on offense,” head coach Michael Johnson said. “He was all-in for the spring game but there were some eye-opening moments for him, especially in the second half, playing at the varsity level.”

WIREGRASS RANCH

Biggest Question

The Bulls only graduated seven seniors, but most were critical pieces to the starting lineup, like two-year starter at quarterback Grant Sessums. How would the replacements, especially 6-foot-2 rising senior QB Hunter Helton, look in live game action?

The Answer

Well, the new quarterback helped produce 55 points, so he looked pretty good.

Helton connected with rising senior running back Keith Walker on three touchdowns in a barn-burner 55-48 win at East Lake. The defense, on the other hand, gave up a lot of points against a hurry-up offense that limited their substitutions and audibles.

Spring Game Standouts

Walker scored five touchdowns on the night, three through the air and two rushing. A role player last year on offense, Walker could be primed for a huge season after topping 100 yards rushing and receiving against East Lake. Helton threw for 242 yards and spread the ball around well, hitting Noah Biglow for a 69-yard score.

Audible

“I don’t know how many teams we’ll play that play that fast,” Wiregrass head coach Mark Kantor said of East Lake. “That style was faster than arena league and it was hard to get a lot of things going on defense because they (East Lake) snapped the ball so fast — it was tough.”

WESLEY CHAPEL

Biggest Question

The quarterback position has been a quarterback-by-committee affair ever since Jacob Thomas graduated at the end of head coach Tony Egan’s first year.

Egan, new staff members Tom McHugh and Brian Colding from Pasco High, as well as former South Carolina and CFL quarterback Stephen Garcia, have been working hard with possible starters. So, who will it be between rising junior Owen Libby and backup Ethan Harper?

The Answer

To be determined. Both guys played well in the spring game, a 35-7 win over Land O’Lakes. Libby threw for 177 yards and two scores, including gains of 41 and 38 yards. Harper threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and also ran for a score.

Spring Game Standouts

Isaiah Ramsey, a basketball player who goes 6’-4”, 205 lbs., caught a 48-yard touchdown on a slant, and Jon’Tavius Anderson had a breakout game with more than 100 yards receiving. 

Audible

“This is going to be the first time we have a 20-game starter at QB since Jacob Thomas,” Egan said. “Both (Libby and Harper) need more reps and we’ll be doing a lot of 7-on-7 this summer to help with their progressions and routes.”