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FHSAA 7A High School Soccer Tournament Previews: Riverview, Sarasota, Venice

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FHSAA 7A High School Soccer Tournament Previews: Riverview, Sarasota, Venice

The Herald-Tribune is getting you ready for the upcoming high school football season. Here are team previews for the Sarasota County teams that will compete in Class 7A of the Florida High School Athletic Association in 2024.

Riverview Rams Football

HEAD COACH: Josh Smithers (8th year, 62-27)

RECORD YEAR 2023: 8-5 (lost in 4S regional title match)

CLASS: District 7A-8

HOME FIELD: Ram Bowl (1 Ram Way, Sarasota)

OVERVIEW: In a sport of crosses and circles, the biggest X-factor for the 2024 Riverview Rams football team is the game’s most important position.

The Rams have their backfield back with two rushers who can run for over 1,000 yards. DJ Johnson And Isaiah BelT. Jade Key will showcase a 6-foot-4 frame as a tight end. Braden River transfer Yahshua Edwards gives head coach Josh Smithers the flexibility to deploy him as a wide receiver or in the backfield. Lucas Chappell And Grayson Martin will anchor the offensive line. On the perimeter, the Rams will also Jaden Wheeler, Toryeon JamesAnd Matt Bakker.

The question then is: Can junior Anthony Miller, a wide receiver last year with the Rams, and a quarterback with exactly 15 passing attempts in his high school career, replaces the departed Braxton Thomaswho led the Rams to the regional finals last season?

“I would say that’s the biggest question mark for our offense,” Smithers said, “just because Braxton was such a polished quarterback. Now you bring in a guy who has all the physical ability in the world. He’s just a coach’s dream — yes, sir; no, sir. He’ll do anything you ask him to do, but he just doesn’t have the playmaking that Braxton had.”

Along the defensive line, the Rams return the defensive tackle Kayvon Love, but lost tackles Henry Fioriglio And Jack Volvig to graduate. Also gone is linebacker Jayson Evanswho brought a blue-collar mentality to the position. In the secondary, junior safety Andon-Clough will lead a young unit.

“We’re more athletic on the perimeter,” Smithers said, “but we’re going to be young everywhere. I think we’ll start five seniors out of 22 this year.” But again, Smithers mentioned the Rams’ X-factor for the 2024 season.

“We’re going to find out how (Miller) reacts when the bullets are flying,” he said. “I think he’s going to react great. But only time will tell.”

SCHEDULE 2024: Aug. 23 at Naples; Aug. 30 vs. Gibsonton-Riverview; Sept. 6 at Palmetto; Sept. 13 vs. Berkeley Prep; Sept. 20 vs. Booker; Sept. 27 at Sarasota; Oct. 10 vs. Venice; Oct. 18 vs. Cardinal Mooney; Oct. 25 vs. Lehigh; Nov. 1 vs. Manatee

Stream Florida HS football games on NFHS Network

Sarasota sailors

New coaches on the block: Sarasota, Manatee high school football teams welcome 7 new head coaches to the sidelines in 2024

HEAD COACH: Amp Campbell (1st year, 0-0)

RECORD YEAR 2023: 1-10

CLASS: District 7A-8

HOME FIELD: Ihrig Field at Cleland Stadium (2155 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota)

OVERVIEW: After being disbanded last year, Sarasota High School’s football team is now open again.

First year head coach Amp Campbell just hopes that the booster club will no longer need a booster club at the end of the season.

Rarely do first-year head coaches get the keys to a Jag, and Campbell, the former Riverview Ram player and coach, shouldn’t try to put his foot on the gas pedal on his 2024 Sailors. He wants to get his team used to traffic sooner. That’s what happens when you inherit a roster with 30 sophomores and freshmen and one eighth-grader. And that’s what happens when you lose your spring game, 58-0, to a St. Pete Lakewood team that finished 2-9 last season.

“My goal is to teach these kids the game of football,” Campbell said. When he took over as captain of the Sailors, the 48-year-old quickly learned that many of his players, in addition to having never played football, never even watched it, either in college or in the pros. “The game of life,” he said. “If I can do that this year, and get the kids to see and understand where I want them to go and build on this year, I’ll be happy. Teach them the game of football. I’m serious about it.”

If last year’s graduates hadn’t claimed most of Sarasota’s talent, including quarterback Johnny Squitierirun back Joe Zieglerwide receivers Jackson Mullet, Nathan Wells, Frank Crawford, And Chris Rudolph, and defensive backs Christopher Espinel And Nick Wasowicza large portion of it was transferred to other schools. Campbell lost its expected starting quarterback, Davin Davidsonto Cardinal Mooney. Running back John Ford III went to Venice, and wide receivers Jamarrion Roden And Carsten Fuller transferred to Lakewood Ranch. Four-fifths of Sarasota’s 2023 starting offensive line has graduated.

The good news for Campbell is that linebackerwith Nate Pralle, wide receiver Lucas Crowleyoffensive lineman Kuiper Robinson, and defensive linemen Brian Klingel And Cutter Johnson returned. But with Davidson at Mooney, Campbell will turn the starting QB job over to junior Jace Ekes“The backup to last season’s backup,” Campbell said. And with running backs Ziegler and Ford both gone, Campbell will Eli Literally, a Sailor JV player last season, as his primary back.

Last season’s Sailor team won one game, finished 1-10 and paved the way for the departure of first-year head coach Josh Phillips. In another case of lowered expectations, Campbell said he just wants to win more than once. “We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “They’re still learning and they’re very, very inexperienced. I want to get better every week. If we can take steps and get better every week, it’s a win.”

PROGRAM 2024: Aug. 23 vs. Cardinal Mooney; Aug. 30 at Braden River; Sept. 6 at Booker; Sept. 13 vs. Gibbs; Sept. 20 vs. Ida Baker; Sept. 27 vs. Riverview; Oct. 4 at Lakewood Ranch; Oct. 10 at Lehigh; Oct. 25 at Venice; Nov. 1 at Parrish

High School Football: The Must-See Manatee, Sarasota County Games of the 2024 Season

Venice High

HEAD COACH: John Peacock (18th year, 177-44)

RECORD YEAR 2023: 12-3 (lost in 4S state final)

CLASS: 7A-District 8

HOME FIELD: Powell-Davis Stadium (1 Indian Way, Venice)

OVERVIEW: While some high school football head coaches worry about the quarterback who shoots the ball more than he runs it, or the 6-foot-1, 180-pound left tackle, Venice’s head coach John Peacock has significantly fewer reasons for a day-long migraine.

After all, how many other head coaches have the luxury of coming up with different ways to get the ball into the hands of four-star recruits? Winston Watkins Jr? Venice may have lost its last two state title games to Lakeland, but with the 2024 season about to begin, it might be an understatement to say the green and white collective is both angry and hungry as the season draws to a close.

The program has been reloaded, as if the barrel of Venice were not yet full.

“On paper, yes,” Peacock said when asked if this could be one of his best teams on paper. “We’ve got a really tough schedule, so we’ve got to get it done in a shorter amount of time. Every team is different. Our schedule makes it hard to look at it and say we’re going to be there at the end of the season. We’re going to face (good teams). We’ve got two teams (IMG Academy and Cocoa) that are in the top 40 in the country.” Indeed, IMG is ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps national high school football rankings, while Cocoa is No. 13.

Still, even as Venice loses two Power-5 cornerbacks in Charles Lester And Deylen Platt, wide receiver CJ Lewisnow at Tulane, and top tacklers Chris Lee And Eli Seedit brings back defensive ends Asharri Charles And Eli Joneswide receiver Ryan Matulevichand offensive tackle Roman Mockwas sidelined for most of last season with a broken leg. Running back Jamarice Wilder replaced by Booker, and when he is not in the game, “Gator” will be replaced by a sophomore Dorien Jones. Left tackle Al-Olivier and linebacker Landon Marsters transferred from Riverview; linebacker Cabbage Wetherington from Lakewood Ranch; and from Braden River, wide receiver Landon Greenoffensive lineman Evan SpencerAnd Bruno Reusthe latter is perhaps the best kicker/punter in the state.

“I think we have a really good front seven,” Peacock said, “a really good offensive line and run game.” Jayce Nixon will start at quarterback, but Venice will have packages for juniors Alex Schafferwho played in nine games last season. And then there’s Watkins Jr., who makes Peacock think about the different ways he can impact a game.

“He’s going to be a mismatch for everybody,” he said. “I think (opponents) are going to have to scheme against him to defend him, but at the same time, if you don’t put all your energy into a game to stop our running game, you’re going to have problems regardless.”

And as if Venice needed an unexpected source of motivation, they got it by losing the title two games in a row.

“It’s definitely been a motivator, and you can feel it in practice; our kids are hungry,” Peacock said. “You can feel it every day, the urgency to want to get back. I think it’s done wonders for our group. Just a sense from the coaches and the players that we have something to prove.”

SCHEDULE 2024: Aug. 23 vs. Tampa Bay Tech; Aug. 30 vs. Northwestern; Sept. 6 at Bishop Verot; Sept. 13 at Port Charlotte; Sept. 20 vs. Cocoa; Sept. 27 at Lehigh; Oct. 4 vs. IMG Academy; Oct. 10 at Riverview; Oct. 18 at Clearwater Central Catholic; Oct. 25 vs. Sarasota

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