East County athletes return to the gridiron

SARASOTA — Evan Wilson knows he needs to make the most of his time under center. The Out-of-Door Academy junior signal caller lives for Friday night lights; and with only 10 regular season games remaining in his high school career, Wilson is focused on treating every game like it’s his last.

And the Thunder’s spring game versus Keswick Christian proved to be no different. Wilson threw for three touchdowns, including two to junior wide receiver Hunter Clarke, and helped lead ODA to a 46-27 victory.

“I just try and take it like a regular game,” Wilson said. “I’ve only got 10 more guaranteed games next year. I’m just trying to take advantage of every one."

“We’ve added some things to the offense, so we’re focusing on learning the plays and getting the younger guys developed,” Wilson said. “Spring football is great, because everyone is involved. You get a chance to see what (the new guys) can do.”

After playing the JV squad for the first quarter, the Thunder varsity squad took the field. Rising senior Brandon Place returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and eighth-grader Justin Fischer scored on a 46-yard catch and an 8-yard carry to cap off the scoring for ODA.

“We played well considering the loss of 15 seniors,” ODA coach Brett Timmons said. “We have to clean up some things, but it’s a nice springboard into the summer.”

ODA, which finished 5-5 last season, spent much of the spring trying to stay healthy and looking for new leaders to emerge after losing 15 seniors to graduation.

LAKEWOOD RANCH
Lakewood Ranch football coach Shawn Trent isn’t used to having to rely on a bunch of underclassmen to carry the load.

But, with only four starters, two on either side of the ball, returning from last year’s squad, which finished 5-6 and nearly upset nationally ranked Seffner Armwood in the Class 6A-Region 3 quarterfinals, Trent and the rest of the Mustangs coaching staff are having to do just that.

“We are younger than we’ve ever been, since I’ve been here,” Trent said. “(Right now) we’re juggling people around and trying to figure out where people are going to go.”

Last season, Lakewood’s offense comprised mainly seniors, making revamping an entire offensive unit one of the Mustangs’ top priorities this spring.

“We are so young at the skill positions, which is where it really counts,” Trent said. “Starting sophomores traditionally for us doesn’t happen, but we’ve got seven or eight who are going to be starting somewhere.”

Defensively, the Mustangs return a handful of players who either started on JV or had some playing time on varsity last season, including Luke Sears, Wanley Desir, Andrew Shackelford and Mason Hobbs, among a couple others.

The Mustangs participated in an FHSSA scrimmage against Dunedin May 12, in Clearwater. The scrimmage, which served as a teaching tool for the officials, gave Lakewood an opportunity to run 38 plays on both sides of the ball and get some additional experience against varsity level competition before its spring game Friday, May 25, at North Port.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids, so we’re getting them a lot of reps,” Sears said. “It’s a lot of wide-eyed kids who don’t know what to expect playing on varsity.”

BRADEN RIVER
The Braden River football team began the spring season filled with unknowns after former coach Don Purvis announced his resignation last month.

But nearly four weeks later, the Pirates are headed in a new direction. On May 11, the Pirates named Leesburg High defensive coordinator Curt Bradley as their new head coach.

“I’m just looking forward to getting around the other coaches and, first and foremost, around the kids,” Bradley said.

Over the past four weeks, Braden River coaching staff has been focused on making sure the players are disciplined both on the field and in the classroom.

After losing 18 seniors from last season’s squad, which finished 4-7, the Pirates want to gain experience and show improvement on both sides of the ball.

The Pirates have several players returning from last season’s squad who have had a positive spring thus far, including veterans Trevon Young, Dylan Lee, Kelvin Albritton, Austin Rain and Marcus Balliette, along with underclassmen Justin Ross and Ryan Hintze.

“We are young, which means, we aren’t consistent yet,” interim head coach Greg Williford said. “We are getting better.”

The Pirates held their annual Pirate Bowl Sunday, May 19. The inter-squad scrimmage gave the players an opportunity to practice what they’ve spent the past four weeks working on before they travel to Naples for their spring game Friday, May 25.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].