Where Art Thou Romeo?

When a person plays football for a high school that has under 200 students, there is a good chance that the player will be playing a lot of different positions and spend most, it not all his time on the field.
For Hernando Christian Academy lineman Josh Romeo, that certainly holds true.

Romeo 101

A returning starter from the Lions club that went 6-2 on the year, Romeo basically has to learn the team's entire playbook.
Romeo, who transferred from Hudson High to HCA after his sophomore year, plays offensive tackle, defensive tackle, back-up fullback and linebacker along with being the long snapper on punts and kicks.
"It's tough and tiring for sure," said the HCA senior who stands 5-foot-7 and weights 270 pounds.
"You have to learn so many positions but because I'm on the field so much, I also have to push the underclassmen that have to go both ways like me that they have to really work hard," said Romeo, a 2007 All-County football selection.
After last season, the Lions lost through graduation and transfers most of their skill position offensive players.
The only returning starter in the backfield is All-County quarterback David Rotteveel and that makes Romeo believe he has to produce this year for the Lions to match last year's 6-2 record.
"Losing Clay (Kessler) doesn't so much put pressure on the players, but on the coaches," commented Romeo. "I think it's tough, but we have people like Jeremy Knight and Ian Townsend and we have a good offensive line, and that will help."
If anyone has spent time outside during September, they can tell you how hot it gets in Florida. And Romeo says that being on the field for most every play means he believes he has to lead by example.
"I've been in football for awhile so it's not that hard because we know what to do and what to expect," he said. "With the underclassmen, they aren't use to this and it's up to us seniors to show them the way."
Romeo says that so far he hasn't heard from any colleges about playing football in the future, but he hopes that after this year, that will change.
"I haven't gotten any letters or coaches calls yet, but I've been looking on the Internet and see if after this year I could land a scholarship somewhere," Romeo said.
For the past few years, Romeo has also coached in the Police Athletic League and he thinks that has helped him learn a little more about the game.
"I've coached for Shady Hills in the Pasco Police Athletic League and it's just something a little different," he added. "It's fun to help the kids learn football, but I've also learned something about football from them.
"I used to look at things in the first person and how it affected me. But teaching these kids showed me that you have to depend on everyone, it's not just one person."