- October 19, 2022
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BRADEN RIVER — Standing 60 feet in the air above his teammates, senior defensive tackle Jeff Casseus would have done anything to trade places with fellow senior Troy Gatling.
Gatling would have done just about anything to have had one shot down the zip line, while Casseus wanted absolutely nothing to do with the high-flying challenge.
But alas, what goes up must eventually come down — much to Casseus’ dismay. So with his teammates egging him on and fellow teammate Logan Jones talking him through it, Casseus made the terrifying trek down the zip line.
“I am terrified of heights,” Casseus said. “That’s something people wouldn’t expect from me. The zip line was the worst part of camp. (In the end) it wasn’t so bad, but I kind of wanted to burn the thing down after a while.”
Tackling the zip line was just one of the many activities and challenges the Pirates faced Aug. 10-13, during their trip to Warren Willis Camp in Fruitland Park. It was the first time Braden River attended the football camp.
“Having done this before as a coach and as a player, the idea was how to get them in midseason form before the first game,” head coach Don Purvis said. “It’s about coming together as a team. It’s a team changing experience.”
The Pirates left 8 a.m. Wednesday and didn’t return home until 4 p.m. Saturday — leaving their cell phones, iPods and all other electronics at home.
“The cell phone part was kind of hard, but it helped you become a team,” Gatling said. “It made you talk to your teammates. You had to talk with your teammates to have a good day. I think taking that away was a good idea.”
Casseus agreed.
“It was a benefit because there were no distractions, so all you could focus on was football, your teammates and having fun,” Casseus said. “It was a great idea not to bring electronics.”
During the four-day camp, the Pirates practiced while also participating in activities such as a zip line, canoeing with an alligator and swimming, among numerous other activities, while also learning how to rely on their teammates — something they’ll have to do throughout the season.
“I enjoyed doing activities with the team,” Gatling said. “Some of them made you get out of your comfort zone, but it pushes you to keep going. It was fun doing things you don’t normally do on a regular basis.
“You had to show a lot of leadership, and I think we developed in that area,” he said. “We went up and became a family. We became well acquainted with everyone. A lot of things you couldn’t do as an individual — you had to do them together. You had to rely on everyone to play their role and do their part. That was what the camp was mostly about.”
The players, who were divided into six teams, were awakened at 6:15 a.m. every morning by an air horn, and from there, it was up to the seniors to lead their team to practices and other activities because they were the only ones with watches.
“I wish air horns didn’t exist,” Casseus said. “Some evil person must have thought, ‘How can we mess with these kids even more than we already have?’ (Although) it showed me what kind of leader I was and the teamwork that we’re capable of. Hopefully, we can keep that up during the season.”
“It forces the leaders out of their comfort zone,” Purvis said.
Since returning from camp, the Pirates have been focused on working together and doing whatever it takes to be successful as a team.
“It was just a great camp,” Gatling said. “We went as a team and we came back as a family.”
Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].
SCHEDULE
All games start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Aug. 26: Preseason Kickoff Classic at Booker (7 p.m.)
Sept. 2: Lakewood Ranch
Sept. 9: at North Port
Sept. 16: Palmetto
Sept. 23: at Riverview (Sarasota)
Sept. 30: at Port Charlotte
Oct. 7: at Manatee*
Oct. 14: Bayshore
Oct. 21: Sarasota*
Oct. 28: BYE
Nov. 4: Venice*
Nov. 11: at Palmetto Ridge
*indicates district game
ROSTER
No. Name Position
1 Kyle Anderson N/A
2 Troy Davis DL
3 Steven Ross QB
4 Deon Taylor DL
5 Denard Richardson RB
6 Troy Gatling WR
7 Steven Hammer WR
8 Connor Cummings WR
9 Michael Unzicker K
10 Ryan Fischer RB/DB
11 Conley Witter N/A
12 Claude Simeon DB
13 Alex Patterson DB
14 Eric Schappacher QB
15 Jordan Edwards DB
16 Chase Richardson QB
17 Zach Durso QB
18 Austin Fox DB
20 Marcus Balliette LB
21 Casey Anderson DB
22 Devyn Williams DB
23 Dillon Cramer RB
24 Kwanaine Evans DB
25 Blake Guerrero DB
26 Austin Rain RB
28 Ray Simeon DB
29 Darius Jones RB
30 Nick Murphy DL
32 Forrest Wilson LB
33 Crey Harwick RB
44 Tyler Linde LB
45 Trent Carnegie LB
47 Josh Weirich LB
50 Nathan Kirkman OL/LB
51 Dylan Lee OL/DL
53 Sam Peacock OL
55 Wyatt Carpenter OL
56 Chase Fisher LB
60 Nikolas Kersey OL
62 Kelvin Albritton DL
69 Sam Massenburg DL
70 Matt McKoan OL
71 Mike Pulawski OL
75 Jeff Casseus OL
78 Matt Snyder OL
80 Logan Jones WR
83 Trevon Young DL
88 David Burton TE
98 Brett Phillips DL
99 Roderick Mitchell DL
COACHES PLAYBOOK: Don Purvis
Years of experience: Two years with the Pirates
What is the strength of this year’s team?
Senior leadership. This is the first team in four years that has had the same coach two years in a row. So, I think just having a little bit more (stability) and being able to do the same thing twice in a row.
What’s the one area that still needs improvement?
We lost a big class of guys, so we have to rely on a lot of sophomores and juniors who weren’t in the starting rotation last year — so just the lack of experience.
How does this year’s team compare to last year’s team?
Talent wise, we have a lot of things that we’re excited about. We lost some guys, but the biggest difference from this year to last year is this year’s (team) doesn’t have to go back and get to know the coaching staff. The advantage they have is not everyone is new.
Has anyone in particular stood out to you so far this season?
Steven Ross has shown a lot of leadership. Nathan Kirkman on the defensive side, I’ve been impressed with what he’s done and his leadership skills.
What does Steven Ross bring to the quarterback position?
The dual-threat option. Our quarterback has to be someone that can run and throw, and that’s what he’s been able to do. He’s starting to get comfortable with that.
