Exciting times ahead for East County sports

I’m not much of a New Year’s resolutions guy.

I believe people should make changes in their lives if and when they are ready to make them, not on an arbitrary date on the calendar. The changes are more likely to stick if you’re making them for yourself, and not because it’s a socially cool thing to do for the month of January before dropping them.

At this time of year, instead of resolutions, I get excited about looking ahead in my life.

The last 12 months have flipped the script on my life, mostly in a positive way. If the next 12 are anything similar, I can’t wait to find out what is in store for me. There are a few things in particular that I’m interested to experience in the New Year.

One of them is the development of the Braden River football team. The Pirates’ season did not end like they hoped it would in 2016, instead they were torch by Venice’s ground game in the second round of the playoffs. Next season, they’ll lose quarterback Louis Colosimo and running back Raymond Thomas offensively, and defensive lineman Deqwunn McCobb and linebacker Noah Arce on the other side of the ball.

That would spell trouble for a lot of schools, but I think Curt Bradley will keep his team playing at a high level. Running back Deshaun Fenwick is now receiving Southeastern Conference scholarship offers, young weapons like Knowledge McDaniel and Travis Tobey will continue to get better, and lockdown corner Tyrone Collins (he of a Michigan scholarship offer himself) will keep the secondary sharp. Bradley can shore up the holes in the Pirates’ run defense. If Braden River can develop another quarterback, they could find themselves in the state championship hunt once again.

Baseball and softball season will be here before you know it. As someone who played baseball growing up, I’m always looking to see the crop of talent that pops up each year, and this area has some really good prospects. Lakewood Ranch P/1B Colton Zimring is headed to the University of Florida in the fall, and I’m excited to see both his pop and his fastball. Braden River’s Sarah Crawford is headed to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and it sounds like her athleticism behind the plate is extraordinary.

I’m also excited for the World Rowing Championships, coming to Nathan Benderson Park on Sept. 23. I’m more excited for the spectacle than the actual rowing. Fans from across the globe will be in attendance, bringing their culture with them. It will be a learning opportunity about the sport, and just about people in general. My goal is to talk to at least one person from each country represented at the championships.

Mostly, though, I’m excited about meeting more of those who live in East County. I started at the Observer on Sept. 22, and my readers have been nothing but supportive. All the area schools have been a dream to work with, a welcome change from the team I covered at my last stop. Anyone who sends me stats and scores, you’re more helpful than you know. The people of East County that I’ve met have all been affable, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed getting to know the community.  

It’ll get a bit colder though, right? I’m still a Maryland man at heart; I need my winters to feel like winter.

Oh well. Maybe I will make one resolution, to take advantage of pools being open all year.

If I have to give up snow, that's not a bad trade-off.