Central
Coach: Jim Pusateri, sixth season
Last season: 4-6
District: 3A-9
Schedule: Aug. 21 vs. Sunlake; Aug. 28 at Tenroroc; Sept. 4 at Pasco; Sept. 11 vs. Hernando; Sept. 25 at Citrus; Oct. 2 vs. South Marion; Oct. 9 at Crystal River; Oct. 16 vs. Nature Coast; Oct. 23 vs. Weeki Wachee; Oct. 30 at Cypress Creek
Key players: LB Maykol Baro; DL Gabe DeLapaz; S Carmello Henry; OL Jesse Mason; RB Josiah Melvin.
Central inches forward with a sophomore-heavy roster
The arrow is pointing up at Central, if slowly. The Bears won two games in 2023 and four last season. Two of the losses came by five points or fewer. The next step is turning those close calls into wins on a regular basis.
Doing it will require a lot of young players to grow up quickly. Central’s roster includes 40 sophomores, though the Bears are not starting from scratch, with five returners on offense and defense.
Josiah Melvin is the top returning playmaker on offense after rushing for nearly 300 yards a year ago. The defense will lean on Gabe DeLapaz, Carmello Henry and Maykol Baro.
Hernando
Coach: Chop Alexander, second season
Last season: 7-4
District: 3A-9
Schedule: Aug. 21 at Lake Brantley; Aug. 28 vs. Dunnellon; Sept. 4 at Hawthorne; Sept. 11 at Central; Sept. 18 vs. Springstead; Sept. 25 vs. Crystal River; Oct. 9 at Weeki Wachee; Oct. 16 vs. Citrus; Oct. 23 at Nature Coast; Oct. 30 at Gainesville Eastside
Key players: LB Bradford Ball; T/DE Zachery Bryant; MLB Mason Pouliot; DE Keegan Ward; QB Waylon Williamson.
Leopards go Wing-T in Alexander’s second act
Chop Alexander did not have to wait long for his first district title, guiding Hernando to the crown in his debut season. Now, in Year 2, he is reworking what got the Leopards there.
The biggest change comes on offense, where a new coordinator is installing the Wing-T, a scheme Alexander believes better fits the personnel on hand. The deception and downhill blocking angles that come with it should give Hernando a way to control the clock while a young group settles in.
The defense returns its anchor in Mason Pouliot, who piled up 96 tackles and six sacks a season ago. Pouliot is also a factor on the other side of the ball, giving the Leopards a two-way presence in the run game.
Nature Coast
Coach: Chris Hawley, second season
Last season: 10-3
District: 3A-9
Schedule: Aug. 21 vs. Bartow; Aug. 28 at Springstead; Sept. 4 vs. Tampa Catholic; Sept. 11 vs. Crystal River; Sept. 25 at Weeki Wachee; Oct. 2 vs. South Sumter; Oct. 9 vs. Citrus; Oct. 16 at Central; Oct. 23 vs. Hernando; Oct. 30 at Wesley Chapel
Key players: OL Sean Bedford; LB Tyler Davis; QB/K/P Christian Gerrett; RB/LB RJ Jones; DL Joseph Lizor; OL Pryce Meyer; LB Don’tryl Parker; FS Dominick Picarriello.
Sharks look to build on a 10-win debut
Chris Hawley’s first season at Nature Coast could hardly have gone better: 10 wins, three losses and a trip to the region final. The Sharks did not let the momentum fade in the offseason, either, beating an East Lake team that went 8-3 last fall during the spring.
Eight starters are back, three on offense and five on defense. The headliner is RJ Jones, who rushed for 1,384 yards and 17 touchdowns and will again be the focal point of the offense. He runs behind a big, experienced line led by Pryce Meyer and Sean Bedford.
Hawley has been just as encouraged by what happened away from Friday nights. Fifty-eight players missed four or fewer sessions across seven weeks of summer workouts, a level of buy-in that suggests the Sharks are not planning on a step back.
Springstead
Coach: Mike Garofano, 14th season
Last season: 4-5
District: 4A-8
Schedule: Aug. 21 at Ocala Trinity Catholic; Aug. 28 vs. Nature Coast; Sept. 11 vs. Zephyrhills; Sept. 18 at Hernando; Sept. 25 at Gulf; Oct. 2 vs. Hudson; Oct. 9 vs. Fivay; Oct. 16 at Pasco; Oct. 23 at River Ridge
Key players: DT/DE Lucas Bridges; QB Aidan Colman; RB Will Figueroa; OL/DL Antonio Graham.
Experience wins games, and Springstead has plenty of it
Springstead limped to the finish a year ago, dropping three of its final four to close at 4-5. The Eagles believe the fix is already on the roster: 21 seniors who have taken their lumps and are ready to cash in on them.
Will Figueroa is the centerpiece. The running back had more than 700 yards last season and will carry the bulk of the load again, though Springstead has the pieces to be more than a one-dimensional attack. Quarterback Aidan Colman returns as well, giving the Eagles a passing threat to keep defenses from crowding the box.
The path is not an easy one. Springstead lands in a crowded new Class 4A-8 district that includes six other schools from Pasco and Hernando counties.
Weeki Wachee
Coach: Justin Bland, third season
Last season: 7-4
District: 3A-9
Schedule: Aug. 21 at Fivay; Aug. 28 at Gulf; Sept. 4 vs. Tenoroc; Sept. 11 vs. Citrus; Sept. 25 vs. Nature Coast; Oct. 2 vs. Sunlake; Oct. 9 vs. Hernando; Oct. 16 at Crystal River; Oct. 23 at Central; Oct. 30 at Alachua Santa Fe
Key players: OL/DL Jashaun Contegiacomo; WR/DB Anthony Piermatteo; RB/LB Evan Sareyani; OL/DL Sam Valderrama
Transfers thin the Hornets, but the trenches are set
Justin Bland has given Weeki Wachee the best stretch in its history by going a combined 14-7 in his first two seasons. The Hornets thought they had the pieces in place to push it further.
Then the roster changed. Seven starters return on offense, but a defense that was supposed to bring back nine took a hit when six players transferred to other schools.
What remains is a team built up front. The running game will be handled by committee, and whoever gets the ball will run behind a deep offensive line that returns six of seven who played last season. The defense, thinned as it is, should still be physical.