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.

On & Off The Field, Former Wiregrass Ranch High Star Chris Faddoul Stands Out

Former Wiregrass Ranch High multi-sport standout Chris Faddoul continues to excel on & off the field at Florida A&M University, where he led the nation in punting average.

Seemingly everything Chris Faddoul did while a student at Wiregrass Ranch High led to success. A fantastic student, an on-campus leader and an athlete who excelled at football, soccer, tennis, track & field, and heck, even table tennis (as a member of the school’s ping-pong club).

But in the two years since he’s graduated and moved on to college at Florida A&M University, Faddoul has narrowed his athletic scope to just football, and the results have been spectacular — on Tuesday, Dec. 11, the Rattlers’ starting punter was selected as a first-team All American by the Associated Press.

Faddoul is the first Rattler since Leroy Vann in 2009 to be selected to the NCAA Division I Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) team.

Add it to Faddoul’s growing list of athletic accomplishments. At Wiregrass Ranch, whether it was as a captain, quarterback, kicker and punter on the football team, a district champion long jumper for the track team, a standout scorer for the Bulls soccer team, which he helped to a state semifinal finish as a sophomore, a tennis player, who went 15-0 as a senior and reached the state series tournament after never having played competitive tennis before the season began, Faddoul excelled on the fields, courts and tracks across the area.

But for his coaches, past and present, the best attribute Faddoul may have on his talented resume is his character.

“Chris was genetically given the gift of great athleticism,” WRH athletic director Dave Wilson, the school’s soccer and tennis coach, says. “But, on top of that, you add the strongest work ethic you’re going to find … it’s just the character on top of all of it. He’s just this tremendous person, and you look to find where this kid’s faults lie, but you just aren’t going to find them. He is a coach’s dream.”

As far has his success on the football field is concerned, that has continued, as Faddoul has taken to the college ranks the past two seasons.

Faddoul was outstanding for FAMU in his 2018 season, ending the regular season as the leading punter in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

As a freshman, he averaged 39.6 yards-per-punt, with a long of 55 yards. But in his sophomore campaign, he improved in a big way, finishing the season with a 46.8-yard average on 41 punts, including 16 punts of 50 yards or better. He also pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard-line 17 times, with just seven kicks reaching the end zone for a touchback.

His per-punt average and single game average of 60 yards (against Fort Valley State, 9/1/18) are school records at FAMU.

Faddoul even took on the kickoff duties for the Rattlers’ final three games of the season, recording 12 kicks with a 56.7-yard average.

“Chris worked extremely hard during the offseason to improve his technique, and he has become a critical part of our game plan each week,” FAMU head coach Willie Simmons says. “He has been one of our team leaders (this year), and he’s a young man of high character.”

His successes at the college level were almost put in jeopardy by two leg injuries in his high school career, first breaking his leg as a junior, then tearing his ACL as a senior.

However, Faddoul’s drive for success meant the potentially career-ending injuries were mere bumps in the road.

“Those injuries, especially the ACL (tear), were either going to be the breaking point or the thing that I got past to come back stronger than I ever was,” Faddoul says. “The senior year injury took a toll mentally. An ACL injury can be a career-ender for some players, but I love athletics and for me, there was no question how hard I was going to work to get back.”

Faddoul credits his athletic prowess to genetics from his father, Ghassan, who represented Lebanon at the 1976 Summer Olympic,s competing in the long jump and javelin, as well as playing basketball and college football in Virginia.

It was his father’s competitiveness that the younger Faddoul says drove his love of athletics and desire to keep competing, no matter what.

“My Dad has always pushed me and set the bar a little higher for me,” Faddoul says. “He always expected me to do well and then do a little bit better. I loved that push. He made me want to be better and it gave me a competitive edge that made me drive to be my best.”

Meanwhile, Off The Field….

It wasn’t just the athletic fields, tracks and courts where Faddoul excelled as a leader. He also was a standout student at WRH, something he also has continued at FAMU, where the sophomore is focused on his major in Biology and carries a 4.0 GPA with plans to attend dental school.

He also has served as president of FAMU’s Special Olympics planning club. Faddoul garnered some national acclaim when a video surfaced of him his senior season at WRH, gifting a football-team signed helmet to his classmate Andrew Hayne — a friendship Faddoul has maintained since middle school.

“Andrew has been a friend since middle school,” Faddoul says. “Every time I saw him in school back then he would yell, ‘Fad-doodle,’ at me, run at me and give me a hug. We’ve been great friends since then. He’d look for me each Friday so I could give him my jersey to wear for the (school) day. It was always special for me to see him there supporting me each game.”

The character part of Faddoul’s makeup also includes a maturity that is impressive for a 19-year-old. When he made his choice to attend FAMU, over his other college football scholarship offer to attend Valparaiso University in Indiana, he showed maturity beyond his years.

“Obviously, I’m a Caucasian attending an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities),” Faddoul says. Although that didn’t play a role in my college decision, I was a little worried that I might impede, or interfere with the other students who were coming here to immerse themselves in the cultural experience of attending an HBCU. But, this experience couldn’t be better. Everyone, from the coaches, to the faculty, to my fellow students, have welcomed me with open arms. I’m really at home here.”

2018 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW CAPSULES

Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel are gunning for the postseason, while Cypress Creek looks to improve.

WIREGRASS RANCH BULLS
Head Coach: Mark Kantor
2017 record: 9-3 (4-2)Tonight’s season opener:
@ Zephyrhills
Returning players: Grant Sessums (Sr., QB, #10) Dylan Ridolph (Jr., LB, #40), Kasean Ridgel (Sr., DL, #52), Connor Lenczden (Jr., OT, #62), Mason Buie (Sr., RB, #24), Cameron Lee (Sr., LB, #30).
Impact newcomer: Keith Walker (Jr., ATH, #7)

THE SKINNY: The Bulls are arguably the class of Pasco County, but only only play three games against county competition because Class 7A, District 8 is Hillsborough County-based. Kantor touts his linebacking corps as being his best unit on either side of the football. Dylan Ridolph is emerging into an elite linebacker, while Lee and juniors Nick Gaziano and Tyler Hayes will bolster the 3-4 defensive front.

Ridolph and Gaziano led the team with 89 tackles last year. Ridgel isn’t a mammoth at 5-foot-10, 275 pounds, but Kantor claims he creates more disruption than anyone on the team. A re-vamped secondary will feature sophomore Noah Biglow and junior Julian Gonzalez on the outside.

Senior Dorien Green, a defensive back with an offer from Northern Illinois, will likely take over at safety. Walker adds a bit of homerun speed that graduated when Jordan Miner left for Penn State. Mason Buie will also work the backfield. Sessums (pictured above) completed 56 percent of his passes last season for 1,483 yards and eight touchdowns.

The experience will go a long way to helping the Bulls get back to the playoffs for a third straight season.

CYPRESS CREEK COYOTES
Head Coach: Mike Johnson
2017 record: 0-10 (0-0)
2018 preseason opener 8/17:
vs. Citrus Park Christian
2018 regular season opener 8/24:
@ Gulf
Returning players: Devin Santana (Sr., WR, #2), Logan Bercaw (Sr., OL/DL, #75), Trevor Maxwell (Sr., QB, #8), Jehlani Warren (Jr., ATH, #9), Jalen Warren (Jr., LB, #3), Tim Ford-Brown (Sr., RB, #5), Quinton Spears (Sr., UT, #1)
Impact newcomer: Cedric McBride (Sr., ATH, #18)

THE SKINNY: There were little to no expectations for the Coyotes in 2017, their first year. They won their first game against Gulf, but it later had to be forfeited due to an ineligible player and the Coyotes were outscored 470-28 the rest of the way.

There are, however, a few expectations in 2018. It looks as though Maxwell is going to be the guy at quarterback, and he’s going to have plenty of talent around him. Santana (pictured) is a top-flight receiver, and newcomer McBride is a nice pass-catching complement. Tim Ford-Brown, the Warren twins (Jalen and Jehlani), as well as Colorado transfer Jovanni Addison, make for a talented and crowded backfield.

The question marks, typical for young teams, are up front and on defense. Bercaw is a solid defensive end with good size and will swing around and play tackle on offense, but the Coyotes are going to need more to be successful in 2018. Coaches are pretty excited about their linebackers in Jalen Warren and Addison, but the spots in front of and behind them need to be solidified. There are definitely a few winnable games on Cypress Creek’s schedule this year.

WESLEY CHAPEL WILDCATS

Head coach: Tony Egan
2017 record: 6-4 (4-3)
Tonight’s season opener: vs. Sunlake
Returning players: Jelani Vassell (Sr., ATH, #10), Fletcher Martin (Jr., PK, #36), Owen Libby (So., QB, #12), Seth Petty (Sr., C, #68), Kiaus Collins (Sr., RG, #50), Tyler Wittish (Sr., TE/DE, #9)
Impact newcomers: RT #70 Sean Hunter (Jr.) & RB Kris Chandler.

THE SKINNY: The Wildcats lost a lot to graduation, AND even more to Cypress Creek when it opened two years ago. The team’s numbers dwindled down to bare bones in the spring but have rebounded slightly, heading into fall.

Athlete Jelani Vassell returns for his senior campaign and he likely will not come off the field. All-Conference senior Seth Petty moves over to center from tackle and is the leader of the group and its best blocker. He’ll have some help, however, as senior Kiaus Collins returns at right guard and Apopka transfer Sean Hunter sets up at right tackle.

The biggest question mark for the Wildcats is at quarterback. Sophomore Owen Libby is the guy getting the call and, while he’s completely unproven and inexperienced, he has great size, especially for a sophomore, and coaches like what they’ve seen through the summer and fall.

The guy to keep an eye on for Wesley Chapel is Wittish (pictured), who will line up at tight end and defensive end. He’s the team’s best blocker, probably their best tackler and their fulcrum of leadership. The Wildcats are still likely going to be looking up at River Ridge and Zephyrhills in the Class 5A, District 8, but it only takes upsetting one of them to put them in the playoff picture.

Former Wildcats Litton, Tate Declare For NFL Draft

Auden Tate catches a touchdown pass for Wharton in a 2014 game against King. Tate and former Wharton quarterback Chase Litton have both declared that they will be entering the 2018 NFL Draft. (Photo: Andy Warrener)

In 2013, the last year Wharton High’s football team went to the playoff, Wildcats’ quarterback Chase Litton was throwing passes to wide receiver Auden Tate.

Next year, they may both be on NFL rosters.

Tate, a starter for Florida State at wide receiver last season, and Litton, the starting quarterback at Marshall University in Huntington, WV, have both declared for the 2017 NFL draft, scheduled for April 27-29 in Philadelphia.

The former Wildcats just completed their junior years in college, passing on their final years of eligibility.

If they ended up drafted, as expected, that would make three members of the 2012 Wharton football team, including Tampa Bay Buccaneer Vernon Hargreaves, on NFL rosters.

Tate will forego his senior season at FSU after catching 40 passes for 548 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns in 2018. At 6-5, 225, he has all the measurables NFL scouts want these days in a wide receiver. He has very good speed and hands, exceptional height and a physical style that gives him an edge against smaller defensive backs in the red zone.

Auden Tate

Shoulder and foot injuries limited his playing time at FSU in his first two seasons. However, a solid junior campaign and the changing of the coaching staff at FSU nudged him to go pro.

CBS Sports ranks Tate as the No. 7 wide receiver in the upcoming draft. A mock draft at DraftUtopia.com has Tate going 10th overall in the first round to the Los Angeles Rams, while other mock draft “experts” have him being selected in the first three rounds.

USA Today ranked Tate as the 39th best prospect in the draft.

One mock draft, WalterFootball.com, has Tate going 77th overall to Cincinnati, with Washington taking Litton a pick later.

At 6-6, 235-pounds, Litton also has many of the tools NFL scouts drool over, including a lively arm to go with his height.

Chase Litton

Litton graduated from Wharton a year earlier than Tate, and was a three-star recruit (Rivals.com, 247Sports) who initially committed to hometown USF and reportedly had offers from LSU and Western Kentucky, but settled in on Marshall, where he was a three-year starter.

He became one of only two quarterbacks in school history to complete at least 60 percent of their passes in three straight seasons.

Litton’s draft prognosis, however, is not as rosy as Tate’s, as he is coming out in a quarterback-heavy year and with some scouts feeling he could benefit from an additional year of college.

Although both former Wildcats were very good basketball players in high school, it looks like football has turned out to be the right choice for both of them.