Sarasota high school football previews: Booker High

Fear not, Tornadoes fans: football is indeed coming. 

As has been the case the last few seasons at Booker, the football team's roster numbers are lower than most of its competition. In fact, there were some nervous moments among the fan base when Booker did not hold a 2021 spring game, with some speculating that the program would not have enough players to field a team in the fall. Thankfully for Tornadoes fans, those rumors were unfounded. The Tornadoes consistently had between 30 and 35 players at workouts during the summer, Booker Coach Baraka Atkins said at his 2021 Suncoast Media Day press conference in July, with 10-15 of those being freshmen. Atkins said he hopes those numbers continue to grow. 

"We had a great summer of workouts with a core group of guys that came and worked hard," Atkins said. "I'm proud of them. Spring didn't go how we wanted. We were still trying to work some of the numbers out, but that's behind us now. We're moving forward and looking forward to the 2021 season." 

Low numbers does not necessarily mean a low amount of wins. Atkins believes his team can compete. A strong showing at a Next Level Sports seven-on-seven football tournament at Bradenton Christian School in July, finishing second overall, proved to critics that the Tornadoes have talent at the skill positions. Atkins said even he was surprised at just how much improvement his team showed at the tournament. 

"That put some people on notice," Atkins said, laughing. "Who knew Booker was still going to have football this year, right?" 

That skill position talent includes junior returnees Gavin Stanford and Omarion Patterson, both of whom can play multiple positions. On the team's official MaxPreps roster, Stanford is listed as a quarterback and as a cornerback, though he can also split out as a wide receiver if needed; Patterson is listed as a running back and as a wide receiver and also returned kicks for the Tornadoes in 2020. Booker will rely on both players to make big plays this season, on offense and defense. Patterson believes they'll meet the challenge in front of them. 

"We're always open," Patterson said of he and his teammates. "It doesn't really matter who is throwing us the ball, we'll catch it."

The Tornadoes will also have a senior running back (and safety) in Nate Williams and veteran bodies on the line of scrimmage, including junior David Bailey Jr. and Brandon Bass, who will play on the offensive and defensive lines. At a time when many other programs are struggling to develop young linemen, having experienced players there could give the Tornadoes an advantage.

The biggest issue for the team may be health; with so few players on the roster, Booker cannot afford to lose many starting players to injury. 

Atkins said he does not believe missing a spring game will have a major effect on his team once the 2021 season arrives. The players were working just as had at practice and improving just as much, he said. Plus, the Tornadoes will have a tune-up game at 7 p.m. Friday at home against North Port High in the Preseason Classic. They will have work to do. Despite the amount of talent on the outside, a 1-7 team does not become a 7-1 team overnight, no matter how many seven-on-seven camps it dominates. It will take a lot of hard work to turn the Tornadoes into legitimate contenders. 

The Tornadoes schedule, which does not do them any favors, may force a full-on turnaround to wait one more season. Five of the team's first six games occurring on the road. That includes contests against local foes Sarasota High, Southeast High and the season opener against Cardinal Mooney High. If Booker can get through those six games in relatively good shape, however, it will have a chance to do something. The schedule opens up in the second half of the season, ending with four straight home games.  

Even if 2021 is not Booker's year to dominate, the Tornadoes have the talent to catch opponents off-guard. If teams underestimate Booker, they can get tripped up.