Land O’ Lakes Gators Look To Devour New District 6

The Land O' Lakes High School football program is undergoing a number of changes. With a new district to play in and a new coach at the helm, players and coaches are looking forward to a stellar season.

New Places:

Land O’ Lakes moves up to class 6A this year and its new district jettisoned some of the old rivalries. The new District 6 will include: Central, Hernando, Nature Coast, River Ridge and Springstead along with the usual suspects Sunlake and Mitchell.

Having Pasco out of the picture certainly makes Land O’ Lakes look like the favorite, but Hernando went 9-2 last season and made it to the regional quarterfinals.

Sunlake is also a rising power in Pasco County.

Thus, it’s a pretty even trade Pasco for Hernando, Zephyrhills and Anclote for River Ridge and Central. It’s not going to be a picnic but the Gators return several starters from last year’s team and have some rising talent to take over the vacated spots.

Old 3A District 7 with 2010 record:                New 6A District 6 with 2010 record:

Pasco                          11-1(7-0)                    Land O’ Lakes                      9-2(6-1)

Land O’ Lakes           9-2(6-1)                     Hernando                             9-2(6-1)

Sunlake                      8-2(5-2)                    Sunlake                                 8-2(5-2)

Gulf                             8-4(3-4)                    Springstead                          6-6(3-2)

Mitchell                     5-5(3-4)                     Nature Coast                       5-5(3-4)

Wesley Chapel         3-7(1-6)                     Mitchell                                5-5(3-4)

Zephyrhills               2-9(2-5)                     River Ridge                         2-8(1-4)

Anclote                       2-9(1-6)                    Central                                 2-8(1-4)

New Faces:

After the dismissal of Head Coach Matt Kitchie, the Gators entertained several candidates for the position; including former Gaither coach Mark Kantor and former River Ridge skipper Tim Stevens. Athletic Director Karen Coss was on the committee that evaluated the candidates. Eventually, they went with former Mitchell coach, Brian Wachtel.

“As athletic director, the things I looked for in addition to what everyone seemed to have, are what set him apart. We all care about the kids and the program, and want both of them to succeed. It helps me to have someone that I can see is meticulous with planning and record keeping, which I saw in Brian (Wachtel). His plans for year-round events were laid out and straight forward, and the Parent Packet he created was wonderful for communication,” said Coss.

Outside of impressing the brass at the school, Wachtel is quite familiar with most of the teams in his new district. With Mitchell last year, Wachtel beat River Ridge in the opener 41-0 and lost to Sunlake. He will definitely be familiar with Mitchell, the team he came from.

With Mitchell, Wachtel put together a 13-7 record over two seasons. Land O’ Lakes knocked Wachtel out of his 2009 campaign that put an 8-2 record together. Wachtel hit a rough patch last October, losing big to Sunlake, Pasco and Land O’ Lakes toward the end of the season, but still managed a 5-5 record. Now he moves over to Central Pasco and takes over a team that’s had his team’s number the past two years.

Wachtel has a strong football background, steeped in Pasco County tradition. He graduated from River Ridge High School and played running back and linebacker for the Knights. He also played outside linebacker at Nebraska-Kearney, a Division 2 school.

Wachtel, 32, is one of the youngest coaches in the county and might be the most fit guy in the weight-room. He could step in and play linebacker for The Gators if needed.

It won’t be needed. The Gators return a strong defensive core that should provide stability and tenacity.

Returning Faces:

The Gators return their top two leading tacklers from last season in Jackson Cannon and Shadow Williams.

“They are flat out warriors. I am absolutely thrilled to have these guys creating havoc on Friday night,” said Wachtel.

Linebacker Jackson Cannon amassed 75 solo tackles last season with a grand total of 138. He also put together 16.5 sacks and led the district in both tackles and sacks. Cannon will be looked to for veteran leadership and for bringing down ball-carriers.

Shadow Williams will step into another linebacker position. As a junior, Williams had 59 solo tackles with a total of 133. He came is second in the district in tackles behind Cannon. He also had 11 sacks.

Williams and Cannon were named to The Times’ All-North Suncoast Football team last December.

The loss of defensive backs Darin Patmon, also named to the All-North Suncoast team, and Justin Tello, honorable mention to the team, cannot be overlooked.

However, Wesley Moore will step into the leadership role in the secondary. Moore led District 7 with seven interceptions last year, was named to the All-North Suncoast team and had two sacks and three fumble recoveries.

More veteran players will be stepping into roles on offense.

Stevie Weatherford’s arm is gone but Ryan Bird is ready to take over as signal caller for the Gators.

“He (Bird) is my guy. He is a gunslinger that is tough as nails,” said Wachtel.

Bird played sparingly during the regular season last year but after Weatherford’s suspension, he guided the Gators to a playoff victory over Hudson; throwing for over 250 yards. Bird gutted out a tough loss to eventual 3A State Champion Jefferson and still managed to go 15 for 27 with two touchdowns and only one pick.

Running back Ryan Lane graduated, but the Gators ran more with the quarterback than running backs last year. That’s something that will change this year.

"We’re going to try to be more balanced this year,” said Wachtel.

This means more touches for returning runner, Spencer Phillips. Phillips only carried the ball 47 times last year but averaged 5.43 yards per carry. Wood Harrison only carried 32 times, but figures to be more of a fixture on offense come this fall.

The receiving corps took the biggest hit in the off-season. Jason Tello and Will Irwin graduated, leaving a combined 104 receptions and over 1,900 yards of offense on the table. Irwin also had 18 touchdowns.

The new corps will have to be built around tight end Kent Taylor. Taylor, who was recently invited to play in the annual US Army game, is an athletic anomaly. He is 6-foot-5 and weighs over 200 pounds, yet he is agile enough to leap or dive for passes. Taylor only had 32 receptions last year, but he caught nine touchdowns. He will be a fixture on this year’s team.

“I can describe the guy in two words, ‘stud city,’” said Wachtel. “He’s a great kid and an absolute grade A football player.”

Look for The Gators to make a splash this year.

Stay tuned to Land O’ Lakes Patch for updates on Gator football.