- April 30, 2024
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With July 31 the start of official Florida High School Athletic Association fall sports practices, it is time to turn our collective attention to football.
High school football returns, and with it comes a look at 10 seniors to watch during the 2023 season. It's a different kind of year for East County programs as underclassmen have a large share of the returning production. Still, these 10 players are worth following, both for what they did in 2022 and for what they hold the potential to do this fall with another year of experience.
One of the area’s breakout candidates in 2023, Kawcak was a modest piece of Braden River High’s passing attack in 2022, finishing with 211 receiving yards (second-most on the team) and four touchdowns at tight end. But he also is a strong blocker on the edges and Pirates Head Coach Curt Bradley called Kawcak one of the team’s hardest workers during spring practice. He also showed explosive ability when given the opportunity.
Against Booker High in 2022, Kawcak had three catches, and all three went for touchdowns, totaling 107 yards.
With 2022’s leading receiver, Craivontae Koonce (424 yards), now graduated, Kawcak has a chance to put up big numbers in offensive coordinator Eric Sanders’ scheme.
The Mustangs’ leading tackler (82) from 2022 returns for what should be a huge senior season. Freed, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound linebacker, isn’t the biggest player, but uses his instincts and physicality to make things tough on opposing ball-carriers. But he’s more than a guy who cleans up the play once the ball gets past the line of scrimmage as he can start plays, too. Freed had 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception as a junior. On what should be a young defense in 2023, Freed is the type of leader the Mustangs will need in the middle.
Tack, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker, has been a consistent contributor on ODA’s defense since he was a freshman. His junior season was his best yet as Tack racked up 62 tackles (7.5 tackles for loss), five sacks and two forced fumbles. He also got in some work as a fullback, opening holes for ODA’s electric running backs. Tack has also been praised for his leadership under multiple ODA coaches, including current Head Coach Rob Hollway.
If Freed will be the leader of Lakewood Ranch’s front seven, Koscielski will be a leader in the defensive backfield. Koscielski is not the biggest player on the field (5-foot-9, 145 pounds) but he makes plays. In 2022, he finished with 25 tackles (1.5 tackles for loss), plus five interceptions, for passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Alongside teammate Tack, Beasley gives the ODA linebacker corps a dependable duo. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Beasley had 48 tackles in 2022, second-most on the team, along with six tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Coffaro, an offensive tackle, is a physical blocker who should open plenty of holes for running backs in 2023. Coffaro is 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, and his highlight tape shows a lineman who always plays to the whistle (and sometimes past it) and is happy to flatten an opposing defensive lineman as opposed to just holding him up.
No matter who wins the respective jobs in preseason camp, Braden River will have a new starting quarterback and a new starting running back in 2023, as quarterback Nick Trier transferred to Lakewood High (Saint Petersburg) and running back Trayvon Pinder transferred to Manatee High. It will be up to players like Coffaro to make sure the new starters are given opportunities to succeed.
After a senior-heavy offense helped drive The Out-of-Door Academy to a 9-1 record in 2022, the Thunder will have to find plenty of new pieces to use in 2023 — one exception being Meyers, who did a bit of everything for ODA last season. In 2022, Meyers had 18 carries for 153 yards and three touchdowns, both out of the backfield and under center when filling in for starter Jack Hobson. Meyers also had 31 tackles (two tackles for loss) and an interception on the ODA defense playing strong safety.
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, according to MaxPreps, Anthony has one of the biggest frames in the area, a good tool for a wide receiver/tight end to have. He used it well last season — his second at the varsity level — catching 17 passes for 260 yards, though he did not score a touchdown.
That will likely change in 2023, as the team’s three leading receivers from 2022 are gone. The opportunity for Anthony to break out is there.
Heaven is a unique entry on this list as he did not play football in 2022, only basketball. His natural athleticism, however, makes him an intriguing weapon to add to Curt Bradley and Eric Sanders’ arsenal at Braden River.
Heaven, who is 6-foot-3, 183 pounds, has a basketball highlight reel full of dunks and quick-twitch steals. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Pirates in 2022-2023. He will play wide receiver and defensive back for the football team, where his athleticism could translate well if he learns position-specific skills like route running, backpedaling and how to read a quarterback’s eyes.
For a special teams player to make a top-10 list, that player has to be a proven weapon. Mika Levy is that for the Thunder. Levy, a kicker and punter, has a leg capable of hitting 50-yard-plus field goals and pinning opposing teams with bad field position on punts. He’s been training with former NFL kicker Steve Christie this offseason to make the most of his potential. Levy is also a smart player as ODA Head Coach Rob Hollway said he is talking to Ivy League schools about spots on their rosters. In close games, Levy can give the Thunder a leg up.
