Football Preview: Out-of-door Academy Thunder

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Six years ago, Out-of-Door Academy strong safety Sam Kimmell pulled on his shiny navy blue helmet and trotted out onto the field.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and the then-seventh-grader was preparing for his first football game in an ODA uniform. Kimmell looked back toward the sidelines and easily spotted his parents and those of his fellow teammates.

At the time, those were the only fans that made the trip down to Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota to watch the Thunder play.

“It was just parents,” Kimmell said. “It was like four o’clock in the afternoon.”

That same scenario went on for the next four years. Without a stadium of its own, the Thunder played its homes games on Friday afternoons on the Sarasota Sun Devils’ home field at Twin Lakes Park. The players boarded a bus for the field immediately after the final school bell rang, and few fans could get out of work early enough to catch the games.

But, that all changed last fall when ODA unveiled its new football stadium. For the first time in five years, the stands were filled, and the team was playing in front of more than just players’ parents and the opposing team’s fans.

“It felt like we were actually playing for our high school, and we weren’t just playing on the Sun Devils field,” senior running back Christos Eraclides said of the new stadium.

Senior offensive lineman Tucker Kittle agreed.

“It felt like the crowd was more into it,” Kittle said. “It felt like there was more support.”

In one season, ODA’s football culture was born. Students and the community began attending games regularly, and as ODA began taking pride in its football team, the players started putting even more pressure on themselves to do well — not only for themselves but also for the Thunder faithful.

“There’s more weight on your shoulders,” Kittle said. “It’s more rewarding now if you win, but it’s a lot worse if you lose.”

“All eyes are on you,” Eraclides chimed in.

“It’s a lot more exhilarating,” Kimmell added. “The younger kids plan their Friday nights to come out to the (stadium) and play.”

Now, as Kimmell, Eraclides, Kittle and fellow seniors Grant McCarthy, Jack Cannon and Brian Ragone, among others, prepare to become the first graduating class to have gone through the football program in its entirety, the players have their sights set on a new challenge — leaving a lasting legacy.

In 2009, the players, who were sophomores at the time, were a part of ODA’s first regional championship and state semifinal appearance. Following the game, the players made a vow to leave their own legacy.
And with the season set to kick off next week, the senior class wants nothing more than to walk off the field for the final time carrying a state championship trophy.

“We’ve grown together as a team,” Kimmell said. “We’ve all been working together since seventh grade. It feels like we’ve come full circle. As seventh-graders, we looked up to the seniors because of how big and good they were. Now we’ve grown up and are seniors, and hopefully, the younger kids look up to us now.”

“Most of us were on the regional championship team, so we know what it takes to win,” Cannon said.
Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].

SCHEDULE
All games start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Aug. 26: Preseason Kickoff Classic Berkley Prep
Sept. 2: St. Petersburg Catholic
Sept. 9: Community School of Naples*
Sept. 16: Moore Haven*
Sept. 23: at St. John Neumann Catholic*
Sept. 30: Evangelical Christian*
Oct. 7: BYE
Oct. 14: Dade Christian School (6 p.m.)
Oct. 21: at Southwest Florida Christian Academy*
Oct. 28: at First Baptist Academy** (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 4: at Saint Stephen’s*
Nov. 11: at Cardinal Mooney
*indicates district game

ROSTER

No. Name Position
2 Brandon Place WR
4 David Grain DB/WR
5 Drew Fineburg RB
7 Evan Wilson QB/WR
8 Tre Gregory WR
9 Jimmy Donnellan WR/DB
10 Tyler Dietrich QB/DB
12 Brian Ragone QB/WR
20 Christos Eraclides RB/DB
21 Sam Kimmell DB
22 Sean Kirshe DB/K
23 Renzo Rometo DB
30 Ryan Fleeman RB/DB
31 Jonathan Furman DB
32 Paul Jones DB
33 Tyler Burgett RB/DB
40 Harry Lempiere LB/K
42 Josh Simon LB
44 Maxime Provost LB/DE
50 Quinton Fitzgerald OL/DL
52 Brian O’Conner DL
53 Kevin Grathwohl LB
54 Ryan Agabani DL/OL
55 Mark Marcello LB/OL
56 Grant McCarthy DE/OL
65 Steven Gilburne DL
77 Tucker Kittle DL/OL
78 Brooks Larkin DL/OL
80/51 Jack Cannon TE/DE
81 Hunter Clarke WR
84 Luke Cranor WR
88 Tom Young TE/DB

COACHES PLAYBOOK: Brett Timmons

Years of experience: Six years with the Thunder

What is the strength of this year’s team?
Experience. This is the first time in my six years here that we’ve had 12-13 seniors, and a lot of them have been in the program since seventh grade. (Hopefully) this will be a good year for us.

What is the one area that still needs improvement?
The biggest thing we’re dealing with is depth and injury. We have to make sure we have enough bodies to go around. One or two injuries can derail a season’s aspirations and dreams. So we’re cautious about that and guarding against injury.

What made you decide to have Brian Ragone and Evan Wilson split time at quarterback?
After we lost Brian’s brother Chris’ play on the field, the coaching staff got together during spring and summer ball and decided we need to have our best guys on the field. If one guy is on the sidelines, then that doesn’t do us any good.

What does Evan Wilson bring to the quarterback position?
Evan’s a cool, calm and collected customer. He’s gotten a grasp of what we’re doing as an offense. He’s a cerebral young man, and he takes a coach’s approach to the game. It’s a situation like the (Philadelphia) Eagles had last year with Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb and the (San Francisco) 49ers had with Joe Montana and Steve Young.

How does this year’s team compare to last year’s team?
I think this year’s team is a little more focused. They have a bitter taste in their mouths after losing the way we lost in the first round of the playoffs. They understand what it takes, and they want to leave a lasting legacy behind and challenge the 2009 class that went to the state semifinals.

Has anyone in particular stood out to you so far this season?
Defensive linemen Max Prevost and Brian O’Conner and running back Christos Eraclides