ORLANDO
OCOEE KNIGHTS (7A- 4)
2014 RECORD: 2-8
THE COACH: Ben Bullock
THE PLAYERS: Steven Hogan (Sr., QB), Dorian Jones (Jr.,
DB), Kendrick Shaw (Sr., DB/WR), Lyston Barber (Jr., DE/
OLB), Jules Joseph (Sr., OL/DL), Mario Tillman (Soph., OL/
DL), Jeremy Middleton (Sr., DB), Jamel Hyatt (Sr., DB/RB),
Asanti Jones (Sr., WR/DB), Zach Fox (Sr., LB)
THE WORD: Bullock, who coached Mount Dora to an 8-3
playoff season in his first year as a head coach in 2014,
departed that post to take over an Ocoee program that has
averaged less than two wins per season over the past five.
He said moving closer to his Orange County home wasn’t
the only attraction. “There’s a great community we’re going
to get more involved with and there’s a lot of potential,”
he said upon landing the job. The coaching staff changes
aren’t all that is new for Ocoee. The Knights also have some
new opponents. There are five returning starters on both
sides of the football, so they also have to count on some
new names to step up and contribute.
OLYMPIA TITANS (8A- 5)
2014 RECORD: 1-8
THE COACH: Kyle Hayes
THE PLAYERS: George Adams (Jr., LB), Tyrese Brown (Jr.,
LB), Taymel Christian (Sr., RB), Troy Golden (Soph., DE),
Andre Hawkins (Jr., CB), Khalif Hollis (Jr., OL), Jeff James
(Sr., S), Gage Velin (Sr., DT), Ronald Teague (Soph., DB),
Khalyn Strickland (Sr., QB), Andrew Wilkins (Jr., CB)
THE WORD: Hayes, who worked for 15 years as an assistant
in South Florida – including two seasons with FIU – takes over
as head coach of a Titans program that hit a low last season
following a max exodus of top players to other schools. “We’re
wiping the slate clean,” Hayes said. “I want to change the
culture and the mindset.” This is a very young squad counting
on senior leadership from guys like Strickland, the returning
starting quarterback, and Velin, a defensive stalwart. Christian
is 6-foot- 1, 213 pounds. Coach Hayes likes the intangibles.
“Our guys do a good job of being teammates. They’ve
motivated each other in our workouts and practices. We’ve
just got to transition that whole mindset onto the field and
learn how to compete as well.”
ORANGEWOOD CHRISTIAN RAMS (IND.)
2014 RECORD: 2-8
THE COACH: Bill Gierke
THE PLAYERS: Evan Page (Sr., LB/OL), Jacob Siviglia (Sr.,
OL/DL), Andrew Habicht (Sr., RB/LB), Chris Morgan (Sr.,
WR/DB), John Lowrey (Sr., WR), Adam Bass (Sr., WR/DB),
Kyler Reinhold (Sr., TE/LB), Ethan Bullock (Jr., QB/DB), Chris
Stanley (Jr., OL/DL), Ryan Bowman (Jr., OL/DL), Josh Ebert
(Jr., OL/LB), Jeremiah Davis (Jr., RB/LB), Colin Flanagan (Sr.,
WR/DB), Parker Penny (Soph., WR/DB/K)
THE WORD: Orangewood Christian, which was almost
always outnumbered in 3A district play, dropped out and is
now a member of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference,
where the Rams should be on a more advantageous playing
field in terms of numbers and depth. The best player in
school history, Jimmy Martin, is now on Boston College’s
roster, but Orangewood returns seven starters on both
sides of the ball. Still, coach Gierke, who has 273 career
wins, said his team still lacks depth – particularly across
the line of scrimmage. Bullock is 6-foot- 3, 200 pounds and
has the tools to be a good QB as returning skill position
players form a nice foundation.
ORLANDO CHRISTIAN PREP WARRIORS (IND.)
2014 RECORD: 10-1
THE COACH: Guerschom Demosthenes
THE PLAYERS: Kevince Brown (Jr., TE/DE), Kingston Harrison
(Soph., OT/DT), Connor Marchionda (Jr., QB), Tyler Brisgone (Jr.,
MLB/RB), Warren Bartlett (Jr., S/RB), Jordan Webber (Soph.,
OLB/ WR), J.D. Ortaliz (Sr., OL/DL), Timmie Lee (Jr., LB), Isaiah
Rodriguez (Jr., OLB/RB), Nick Torres (Soph., RB/CB)
THE WORD: The reigning Sunshine State Athletic Conference runners-up return nine starters on offense and eight on
defense and the Warriors have high ambitions to climb to the
top of a league that continues to grow. Brown had 8 sacks as
a sophomore and Harrison added 3 as a ninth grader, and
their size suggests they are going to do even more damage
this season. Brown went into spring practice at 6-foot- 5, 220
pounds and Harrison was 6-foot- 3, 230 pounds. Marchionda
passed for 1,044 yards and 11 TDs a year ago. Linebackers
Brisgone and Lee both had more than 100 tackles last season
and Torres added 57 stops. This will be OCP’s sixth football
season and it should be a special one.
OSCEOLA KOWBOYS (8A- 7)
2014 RECORD: 13-2
THE COACH: Doug Nichols
THE PLAYERS: Carlos Becker (Sr., DB), T. J. Kelly (Sr., DL),
Laderrien Wilson (Sr., RB), Devon Clarke (Sr., S), Chayse
Gray (Sr., OL), Nazayah Brown (Sr., RB), Marcus Edwards
(Sr., RB), Michael Marriott (Sr., OL), Jordan Redmond (Soph.,
OL/DL), Cordai Dennis (Sr., S), Andres Osorio (Sr., OL),
Isaiah Wilson (Sr., QB)
THE WORD: The Kowboys climb to 8A after reaching the
7A state championship game in 2014. They are ready for
anybody on offense with eight starters back and the stable
of running backs is stellar. Wilson ( 5-10, 210) is a power-
house who carried the ball 244 times for 1,897 yards and
28 TDs as a junior. Brown went for 711 yards and 9 TDs and
averaged 9. 1 yards per carry. Edwards added 652 yards
and 8 scores. Those guys are again going to find running
room with four starting linemen returning. The biggest pros-
pect up front, Parker Braun, moved to Texas but Gray ( 6-4,
265) and Marriott (6-0, 265) are seasoned. An offseason
emphasis was placed on adding more of a passing element
with Wilson back as the starting quarterback. “Everybody
knows we’re a running team,” coach Nichols said. “We’ve
got to be able to throw it some.” The defense returns only
four regulars but it also has muscle with relentless tackle
Kelly (6-0, 255). Redmond ( 6-2, 280) got reps as a fresh-
man and is a guy who could make a big impact. Becker and
Clarke are outstanding in the secondary, but coach Nichols
and his staff must replace all three linebackers.
OVIEDO LIONS (8A- 2)
2014 RECORD: 7-4
THE COACH: Wes Allen
THE PLAYERS: Nick Carbone (Sr., QB), Chase Kingsley (Sr.,
WR), Xandre McCleary (Jr., RB), Connor Kowalczyk (Sr., TE),
Mike Yanusitis (Sr., OL), Paul Bonadonna (Sr., OL), Colton
Emerson (Sr., OL), Ryan Milon (Jr., OL), Jake Reneau (Sr., DL),
Ty Cox (Sr., LB), Kyle Panagiotou (Jr., OLB), Michael Davis (Sr.,
DB), Chanler Sparrow (Jr., DL), Matt Carbone (Sr., DL)
THE WORD: Carbone is a third-year starting quarterback
who leads a team that has some holes to fill. He passed for
1,263 yards and 8 TDs and ran for 1,059 and 15 scores
as a junior. Sticky-fingered Kingsley was Oviedo’s leading
receiver with 34 catches for 533 yards. They are keys for
an offense that lacks depth at the skill positions. The blocking wall should be strong with Kowalczyk back from injury at
tight end and Yanusitis, Bonadonna, Emerson and Milon all
veterans now. McCleary is a big back ( 6-1, 215) who hopes
to pick up where graduated Oviedo career rushing leader
Jurell Green left off. The defense lost seven starters and
must grow up quickly to keep the Lions on solid ground in
wide open conference and district races.
POINCIANA EAGLES (5A- 13)
2014 RECORD: 1-9
THE COACH: N/A
THE PLAYERS: Taron Mallard (Sr., QB/TE), Gabriel Sosa
(Sr., RB), Ryan Calmont (Sr., LB/RB), Nickinson Sineus (Jr.,
S/WR), Ben Russo (Jr., OLB/S), Eric Perez (Jr., OT), Terrance
Fox (Jr., DT/OT), Tristan Gilyot (Sr., DT/OL), Kobe Oldfield
(Soph., WR/DB), Jeremiah Holmes (Soph., DE/TE), Anthony
Montalvo (Sr., OL)
THE WORD: The Eagles return three of their top four
rushers, their two leading passers and their two leaders in
receptions. That bodes well for a school that went into the
summer still needing to secure a coach. Former assistant
David Martinez served as Poinciana’s interim head coach
for spring practice. Mallard is 6-foot- 6, 235 pounds and
was an All-Orange Belt Conference selection as a junior. He
played multiple positions and led Poinciana in yards passing (878) and rushing (413), while also catching 19 balls.
Sosa was the receiving leader with 34 grabs for 556 yards.
Six starters return on offense, four on defense. The Eagles
remain in 5A but move to a new district that stretches into
Lake County and pits them against a power in that class,
Bishop Moore of Orlando.
SEMINOLE SEMINOLES (8A- 2)
2014 RECORD: 3-7
THE COACH: Kerry Wiggins
THE PLAYERS: Brandon Moore (Sr., DB), Christopher
Holliday (Sr., DB/RB), Jonah Fernandez (Sr., LB/SS),
Demarco Artis (Jr., DE/LB), Steele Conlin (Jr., DT), Ben Roth
(Jr., LB), Kaylayn Wiggins (Jr., QB), Gabe Davis (Jr., WR/QB),
Seaver Bransfield (Sr., WR/DB), Vantrell Frison (Sr., RB/LB),
Desmond Davis (Sr., OT), Brendon Blyseth (Jr., OL)
THE WORD: After a tough-luck season that started
with promising sophomore quarterback Kaylan Wiggins
suffering a hip injury in a preseason Kickoff Classic, the
Seminoles are hoping to return to their winning ways. But
progress was slowed again in the spring with Wiggins still
being held out while recovering from surgery, and Moore,
an outstanding player, sidelined by shoulder surgery. Coach
Wiggins, Kaylan’s father, said both players are expected
to be ready for the season opener. Seminole returns
five starters on both offense and defense. The defense
should be strong with Moore, Perkins and Holliday in the
secondary and Artis ( 6-3, 200) coming on as a very strong
underclass linebacker. The Seminoles have speed and
can pair that with good size with Conlin ( 6-3, 305) on the
defensive side and Davis ( 6-3, 250) and Blyseth ( 6-2, 270)
up front on offense.
SOUTH LAKE EAGLES (5A- 13)
2014 RECORD: 8-3
THE COACH: Mark Woolum
THE PLAYERS: Cary Samedi (Sr., DT), Trace McEwen (Sr.,
WR-DB), D.J. Allen (Sr., RB), Isaiah McCoy (Jr., OL/DL), Tyrell
Richmond (Sr., ATH), Nolan Andrews (Sr., C), Joey Hauser
(Jr., QB/ WR/DB)
THE WORD: The Eagles were 15-6 over the past two
seasons and drop down from 6A to 5A. That sounds
advantageous except that South Lake now resides in a
district with one of the state favorites, Bishop Moore, and it
suffered serious graduation losses with 25 seniors departing. All of the offensive linemen will be new this year. Still,
South Lake has another big senior class and its returning
skill-position athletes and linebackers are good groups to
build around. “The strength of this group is their passion,”
coach Woolum told FNF Magazine. “They are very young
but they believe in each other and they are very coachable.
We expect that this group can navigate any early-season
adversity and still have an opportunity to compete to make
the playoffs.” Veteran Lake County assistant Seth O’Hara is
the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator.
ST. CLOUD BULLDOGS (7A- 5)
2014 RECORD: 7-4
THE COACH: Bryan Smart
THE PLAYERS: Tyler Williams (Jr, LB), Phillip Gunder (Sr.,
WR), Hunter Weismore (Sr., QB), Austin McCue (Sr., WR),
Jarquae Harper (Sr., RB/CB), Andrew Bogaenko (Sr., K/P),
Leroy Henry (Sr., OL), Ricky Cruz (Sr., OL), Bryan Johnson (Sr.,
RB), Reace Austin (Sr., WR), Johnny Fritz (Sr., WR), Julian Reece
(Sr., LB), Chris Pennell (Sr., S), Chase Wille (Sr., LB)
THE WORD: The Bulldogs averaged 34. 3 points per game
in a season capped by a wild 37-36 bowl win over Frostproof,
and nine offensive starters return. Coach Smart, now in
his third year, said the dramatic bowl victory propelled his
program into a productive offseason that included 5: 30 a.m.
workouts. St. Cloud needs to be sturdy, as depth is still lacking
and its less experienced defense must learn on the fly. But
its senior-laden starting lineup is strong. Williams is a scholar
who had 80 tackles in earning All-District honors. Johnson
earned honorable mention All-State accord with 1,478 yards
on 259 carries and 18 TDs. Bogaenko got the same recognition after kicking 12 field goals as a junior. Weismore passed
for 1,929 yards and 15 scores, and Austin and McCue were
leading receivers with 36 and 33 catches, respectively. Harper
took two kick returns back for TDs and rushed for 400 yards.
TAVARES BULLDOGS (5A- 13)
2014 RECORD: 7-3
THE COACH: David LaMarre
THE PLAYERS: Jordan Smith (Sr., DB), Dylan Williams (Sr.,
OT), Greg Taylor (Sr., C), Gage Pait (Sr., OG), Ben Lester
(Jr., DE), Logan Payne (Sr., DE), Austin Love (Sr., RB), T. J.
Jenkins (Sr., NT), Erik Albright (Sr., OLB), Hunter Lamm (Sr.,
CB), Travis Fugelseth (Sr., OLB), Ronnie Stonesifer (Sr., QB),
Javier Moton (Soph., SS/RB), Jake Jessup (Jr., OT)
THE WORD: LaMarre, head coach at St. Francis Catholic in
Gainesville for the past t wo seasons, takes over a program that
has tasted success with a 14-6 record on the field over the past
two years. Tavares could be tough in the trenches with three
starters back on the offensive line and two players back on the
defensive front. Williams is 6-foot- 5, 295 pounds. He and Lester
(6-0, 240) both earned Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-District underclass honors last season. Pait and Jessup both go
6-foot- 1, 260 pounds. “Our defense should be fairly solid, even
though we don’t have many returning starters,” LaMarre said.
He is installing a new Shotgun Triple-Option offense but has to
find playmakers as Love is the only skill-position returner who
saw much playing time. Still, with about 20 seniors, Tavares
expects to again be in the hunt for a playoff berth.
TIMBER CREEK WOLVES (8A- 3)
2014 RECORD: 7-4.
THE COACH: Jim Buckridge
THE PLAYERS: Hunter Wilkins (Sr., LB), Bryce Balasis (Sr.,
LB), Shawn Mullins (Sr., DL), Preston Samoden (Sr., QB),
Peyton Wright (Sr., DB), Marlon Jarrell (Jr., WR), Jackson
Saffold (Jr., RB), Seth Claar (Jr., FB), T.J. Anderson (Jr., OT),
Emanuel Jeanpierre (Jr., C), Parker Smith (Soph., LB
THE WORD: It’s a new Timber Creek era without current
FSU freshman Jacques Patrick, who smashed Orange County rushing records in a brilliant four-year high school career.
But the Wolves should still be howling on Friday nights with
experienced players returning all across the field. “Losing
Jacques means we lost 99 percent of our offense, and that
may be an understatement,” said coach Buckridge. “But
we’ve got a ton of kids back with experience in our system.
I’d have been an idiot not to give Jacques the ball, but we
won’t be as one-dimensional this year. We’ve got good
depth in most of the areas and we’ve got some pretty good
backs who are going to get their chance now.” Samoden
completed 57 percent of his passes ( 52 of 91) last season.
Saffold carried the ball 31 times and averaged 6. 3 yards
per pop, and Jarrell also was an effective playmaker when
called upon. Timber Creek came through spring practice
with nearly 125 players, a huge number even for a program
that traditionally has great participation.
TRINITY PREP SAINTS (3A- 3)
2014 RECORD: 6-4
THE COACH: Mike Kruczek
THE PLAYERS: Jarred Herron (Sr., QB), Gabe Thomas (Sr.,
UT), Chad Broome-Webster (Jr., OT), Ryan Schaeffer (Jr.,
ILB), Chris Schuttler (Sr., WR), Luke Gammichia (Soph., FS),
Carter Rhoden (Soph., OL), Karl Schreck (Sr., OLB), Austin
Campbell (Jr., DB/RB/K), Alex Moll (Jr., OL), Matt Callan (Sr.,
LB), Jonathan Manglardi (Sr., DE), Kyle Nemec (Sr., LB)
THE WORD: The Saints lost 15 seniors from a team that was
close to something special with losses by t wo points and four
points last year, but now has a much younger roster. Herron
is a 6-foot, 220-pound FSU baseball commit that can and
will carry much of the offensive load on his broad shoulders.
He was limited to eight games due to injury as a junior, but
hit 111 of 186 pass attempts for 1,483 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 632 yards and 13 TDs on the ground. The
Saints are still an underdog behind Central Florida rival First
Academy in a new-look district that loses one proven playoff
program, Melbourne Central Catholic, and gains another,
Ocala Trinity Catholic. “The nature of this program is that we’re
going to play a lot of guys both ways,” coach Kruczek said.
“These kids work hard.”
UMATILLA BULLDOGS (4A- 4)
2014 RECORD: 8-3
THE COACH: Steve Seward
THE PLAYERS: Caleb Robinson (Sr., QB/WR/DB),
Ethan Shreve (Sr., C), Joe Addenbrooke (Sr., OT), Dakota
Hammock (Jr., WR), Austin Bush (Jr., RB/LB), Brett Mohney
(Sr., WR), Quentin Davis (Jr., DL), Tyler Belyeu (Sr., LB), Josh
Enfinger (Sr., QB/RB/DB)
