Spring Football Coming To A Close

 South Dade knows that this year they cannot rest on their laurels.

  One year removed from having won the state championship for the first time in school history, the Buccaneer football squad took a big step backwards when they failed to earn a playoff berth last season.

  Now, after having graduated some stars, South Dade has gained some talent and are ready to show they can compete once again.

  “I stand out here for practice and I see the same glimmers of talent in some of these kids that I saw back in 2013 [during the state championship season],” said head coach Nate Hudson, Jr. during spring practice. “There is a lot of potential.”

  Despite all of his quick success, Hudson is still a relative newcomer to the world of head coaching at South Dade.

  In his fourth season with the program, Hudson led South Dade to a regular season district title in his first year, and then a state title the next.

“We know we still have a long way to go to get back to where we were, but knowing that is what is important,” said Hudson.

“When I look back at it all, we could have easily gone 3-wins last year. We had a lot of close games.”

  Indeed, South Dade is taking their spring football season as the perfect opportunity to fine-tune some of the things they know they need to improve on in order to become successful once again.

  One of the biggest assets South Dade has is its young but experienced core of linemen.

  The Bucs graduated almost their entire starting line after their championship year, and last season showed the team’s youth.

  However, a now battle-hardened squad is poised to take District 16-8A by storm says Hudson.

  “You are going to see some real hard-hitting football out there when we take the field,” he said. “We are definitely going to stand some people up.”

  Taking on Coconut Creek in their spring football game (results were still pending at press time), South Dade’s approach is a little different than usual.

  “We are going to go out there and just run our base plays and see where we are at. This is when we get a good look at where the team is at a whole and where the coaching staff can insert people into some pressure situations to see how they cope,” said Hudson.

  Given the Buccaneer’s proud history, South Dade is looking to push themselves into another strong position for the coming season.

Miami Community Charter Moving Upward

  Head coach Don March knows exactly where his young football program is, where they have been, and where they are going.

  In their inaugural season, the Lions of Miami Community Charter mustered up just one victory, and saw their share of heartbreaking defeats.

  Despite what many would see as a season of sadness, March sees it as a perfect opportunity to grow.

  “We had a lot of growing pains last season,” said March. “But by the end of December, we were already gearing up and preparing to come back bigger and stronger, both physically and mentally.”

  The Lions are set to take on Pinecrest Prep in their spring football game, the only team against whom the program saw victory last season.

  Now, the second year team has a lofty goal that they believe they can achieve; bring home a championship trophy.

  With this year’s massive district realignment in FHSAA, Miami Community Charter elected to go independent in football, joining the Florida Independent Football Conference (FIFC) alongside Pinecrest Prep, Palmer Trinity, Hillel, and Highlands Christian.

  March believes this is where his program can thrive and grow for the future.

  “This gives my guys a trophy to play for, something for them to achieve,” said March. “I believe that this is our ultimate goal, to bring home that championship trophy. Coming off of our first year, we can build on what we had last year.”

  While the goal of winning a trophy is high, March also understands where his young team is at this point in time.

  “I expect to finish above .500 and make the FIFC playoffs,” said March. “We have a couple of new players in practice this year and they look like they will be great additions to our team.”

  When looking for who to pay attention to, Michael Brown and AshanteApplby are who March points to right away.

  “Everyone is working hard in the weight room and doing their best,” said March. “We play a game against a team in Tampa this year, and for some of these guys who have never even really been outside of FloridaCity, this is a great way to show them what they can achieve.”

Coral Reef Starting Anew

  New head coach Javier Valdes has a vision for Coral Reef football.

  “Everyone knows Coral Reef has fallen on hard times lately,” said Valdes. “But we have turned the corner here. We are going after that district trophy.”

After taking over from the departing Billy Rolle, Valdes brings with him a winning pedigree.

  Previously the head coach at MaterAcademy, Valdes guided the Lions to a strong performance last season, capturing the Commissioners’ Cup and making the playoffs.

  Now, at Coral Reef, the Barracudas are preparing for a new lease on life.

  Gone are the days in District 16-8A, replaced instead for a spot in district 15-8A alongside Belen, Braddock, Southwest, Varela, and Ferguson.

  Nonetheless, Valdes expects this year’s spring game against Edison to be the start of a path towards a district title.

  “If you don’t head into your season expecting to win the district title, I think you’re starting off on the wrong foot,” he said. “You have to set your goals high in order to achieve them.”

  Preparing for Edison, Valdes has chosen to instill the basics to become what he calls “fundamentally sound” in football, rather than preparing for specific plays their opponents tend to run.

  “I wanted to make sure these kids are good at the basics because that is where it all starts,” Valdes emphasized. “Tackling, blocking, and all of those things are what can win or lose you football games, and I have seen it happen. We don’t want to be that team.”

Coral Shores Reloads

  After seeing a one-in-a-lifetime batch of talent graduate last season, CoralShores is left with a need to fill in the gaps.

  “Sure we lost some great players, but this now lets some guys have the chance to step up,” said head coach Ed Holly. “This is where we can show that our preparation is what will put us ahead.”

  For Holly, a coach-of-the-year winner who has guided the Hurricanes to stellar playoff seasons over the last three years, CoralShores’ spring football game against Keys Gate is a chance for his team to really separate themselves from the pack.

  “We are looking at this as the perfect chance to work on what we need to work on,” Holly stated. “I tell my guys this all the time that if you do your job and you and the guy next to you are playing together as a team, the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”

  That mindset has worked very well for CoralShores lately, as the Hurricanes have become a team to watch.

  “We have some kids on defense who are just impressive in all aspects, and they really came out this spring to work as hard as they can to improve and get ready,” said Holly. “As a coach that is all you can ask for. We are going to go out there and play CoralShores football and that has worked for us so far.”

Westminster Christian To Showcase Young Talent

  “It is a real blessing being at a small school program like this where you have to coach the players on a team who have never played football before,” says Westminster Christian head football coach Sedrick Irvin. “I love it.”

  Indeed, Westminster Christian, as talent-rich as they have been lately, the Warriors are a team that is small in numbers compared to other programs in the local football scene.

  “If I have 25 guys show up for the team, that is big for us,” said Irvin. “We still have a lot of talent though that can do some good things here.”

  Westminster will be without several stars, as Tim Irvin and Jordan Cronkrite both graduate to head to college careers.

  With their influx of youth, Irvin says this is the perfect chance for the underclassmen to show their talent.

  “You have an open spot now, so a guy can step up big time now and show what he has,” stated Irvin. “I think you will see some players surprise a lot of people. Once we get to about that sixth or seventh game this season, we are going to be hitting our stride and making some waves.”

  Preparing for Key West, the Warriors’ spring football challenger, Irvin says that utilizing the playing time to get his younger stars some experience is key.

  “I am going to just go out there and let the game play itself out,” he said. “I may even play some of my eighth graders to get them some experience because that is what spring football is all about.”

Keys Gate Readies For Challenge

  In their first year of district play, Keys Gate Charter has some big ideas of what will be the future of the Knights football program.

  “I want that playoff berth for my guys,” said head coach Roger Morgan. “We have what it takes, we just have to come together to take it.”

  Morgan takes ahold of the fourth year program with the goal of sending them on a path to a state title, but getting there is no easy task.

  Keys Gate will enter District 16-4A, playing alongside the likes of Booker T Washington, Miami Edison, and Gulliver along the way.

  “We know who we are going to face up against,” said Morgan. “These kids have been putting in a lot of hard work in the weight room, and that is something I think we can lean on as our identity this year.”

  The Knights will travel to CoralShores for their spring game (at press time, results were still pending), facing off against a team that matches up very well with Keys Gate.

  Heading into district play may be a daunting task, but Morgan says his players are ready.

  “You will hear some of these guys’ names called a lot this year, and they will be ready.”