Lakewood Ranch football wants consistency and steady progress

Lakewood Ranch High senior wide receiver Kevin Campbell twisted his body in midair toward the line of scrimmage, snagging the ball above his head. 

A round of "ooh"s rang through the air as Campbell came down to Earth. Campbell, a transfer from Bradenton's Bayshore High, wasn't done with the play. He evaded two defenders, then raced to the end zone, somersaulting over two trash cans in celebration.

He was ready for the next play. And the Mustangs, as a team, are ready to get their season started. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced a longer-than-usual offseason, Lakewood Ranch will begin its season on Sept. 18. As of Aug. 28, the team's schedule is still in flux, but head coach Rashad West is confident his team will be ready to play, no matter the opponent — though the Mustangs have a ways to go. 

"It's been a while since we have been out here," West said. "I mean, we didn't have much of a summer. We haven't thrown a football or caught a football since November. So we have a shortened learning curve and catch-up time. 

The 2020 season will be the second under West. Last season, the Mustangs defied expectations, finishing 6-3 after going winless in 2018. They did it in part by using two quarterbacks, Jimmy Kelly and Cameron Madison, giving the ball to the hot hand. West said he does not want to repeat that process this year. Instead, he will use the weeks before the first game to let the quarterbacks compete against each other for the starting position. 

West's first season was also helped by strong defensive play, instilled by defensive coordinator Cody Montgomery, who pushed the unit to be more aggressive. But Montgomery accepted the head coaching position at Osceola High during the offseason.

"Oh man, it's big," West said of Montgomery's departure. "Luckily, (new defensive coordinator) Matt Egloff is here. Matt and I worked together several years ago (at Coral Springs High) and are still good friends. Him being here has made that transition smooth. But I love 'Mont' and we will miss him."

West said he won't be making any meaningful changes to his offensive or defensive schemes, only adding onto what he and his staff installed last season. That means fans should expect an expanded passing attack. Whoever wins the quarterback battle will have weapons like Campbell, who had 58 catches for 718 yards and five touchdowns last season for Bayshore, leading the Bruins in each category. 

"The biggest thing for us is we're going to have to answer the challenges," West said. "I say that in a sense of, last year there were no expectations. Anything we did was like playing with house money, you know? Now there's a little bit of an expectation to build on it. It's been a while around here since kids were asked to do that. People are expecting us, if not to (always) win, to play at a different level. So we're trying to get better every day, and if we do what we're supposed to do, the wins will come like they did last year. The kids will have to manage that."