Countdown To Kickoff: Lake Weir Hurricanes

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) -The Lake Weir Hurricanes are tired of getting chewed up and spit out--not to mention shut out. After getting blanked in each of their final five games of last season, the program seeks a turnaround in new head coach Jason Roberts.

“I knew about Lake Weir, I played against them in 7-on-7, and there’s definitely some talent there, some competition,” said Roberts. “I like the challenge, because historically, they haven’t had much success on the football field.”

Indeed they haven’t. The Hurricanes have posted just three wins in the last three seasons combined. Lake Weir will have to be driven to turn that record around, because the team certainly lacks experience. Of the 26 players who went through spring practice, 15 will be sophomores this season. For Roberts, it’s now a matter of identifying a proper place on the field for each one.

“The year before I played cornerback,” said Kalil Lawson, a player converting to linebacker. “The thing about that, it’s not that much contact at corner. You’re running but not that much contact. But at outside linebacker, you’re pretty much in contact every single play, which is more my taste.”

“You don’t have to be a senior to be a leader,” said Roberts. “So it Just depends on whether you buy into the system, do you do what we ask, and can you do it in the classroom as well.”

Roberts also requires that his Hurricanes frequent another room on school grounds.

“The mentality was just ‘oh well, here’s another coach who’ll show up for one year and leave’” said running back / linebacker Owen Stahl. “But coach Rob came in and changed everything for us. It starts in the weight room. Summer workouts have been great, people have been showing up, we’ve got a lot of things going on.”

“What I like most is, I like everything about them,” quarterback / defensive back Jeremiah Smith said of his teammates. “They’re talented, young, smart, and they’re good friends. We have to make sure you have no downfalls, and keep the same energy going into this season.”

Lake Weir is classified as 2A Suburban and plays in the same district with Atlantic, Crescent City, and Taylor.
The Hurricanes kick off at Interlachen on Aug. 26, and by then we’ll find out whether Lake Weir’s opponents can weather their storm.

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