The varsity football team is wasting no time under new coach Pat Surtain; the players have already started practicing for the spring scrimmage and next year’s season.
The players work out during ninth hour, meet with the coaching staff for thirty minutes after school and practice as a team two hours every day. After exiting the playoffs early with a loss to Hallandale in the playoffs last year, many players are anxious to open the season Aug. 19 against Booker T. Washington.
Junior linebacker Blake Judge sat out the final game last season with a knee injury, and watching his team play and practice from the sideline has made him want to get on the field and back in the action again. His view from the sideline has given him a new perspective on the team’s chances next year and made him even more excited to begin the season.
“I’m very confident. We brought in some new guys and are returning a lot of great players from last year. I think we could win states again. I think next season will be big for us. I think last year’s loss humbled us, and we will come back stronger than ever,” he said.
Junior quarterback Jason Brown is set to enter his second year as the full-time starter for the Patriots. With senior tight end and leading receiver Nick Eubanks graduating, Brown looks forward to new targets next season. “I feel great about our receivers,” he said. “We have two returning starters from last year in Laress Nelson and Dontavius Butler and also some great young guys like Anthony Schwartz, Miles Jones and Matt Solomon.”
With some players taking their talents elsewhere and others graduating, next year’s team will take on a different personality from this year’s team. The departures of junior running back Kyshaun Bryan, who left for St. Thomas, senior running back Khalil Herbert and senior cornerback Brandon Johnson will force younger players, such as the receivers Brown mentioned, to fill their shoes.
With the new season comes the learning curve with the new coach, Pat Surtain. According to Brown, Surtain’s upbeat attitude differs greatly from Rumph’s relaxed inclination and could be a factor in the team’s success next year.
“Both are great coaches. Coach Rumph was very relaxed – sometimes too relaxed. Coach Pat is on top of everything and a little more spirited,” Brown said.
Last year, the Patriots may have lost a heartbreaking game early in the playoffs, but Brown made his goal for next season crystal clear: the state championship. By beginning training now, the players are ensuring that they are ready for next year’s season.
