A new chapter

No more number four at Nature Coast. Those were the words uttered by Tevin Drake himself following his final prep game, a 34-22 Class 3A, Region II quarterfinal loss at Citra-North Marion High.

That statement by Drake wasn't quite accurate. The Sharks have reissued his old uniform number to sophomore Matt Breida.

Nevertheless, the All-State running back who rushed for 5,109 yards and 71 touchdowns the past four years won't be wearing it when Nature Coast takes the field this season.

With the face of the program now suiting up for Western Michigan University, the Sharks must author a new chapter in a team history mixed with success and turmoil.

Simultaneously Mark Nash, who spent the past six seasons winning more games (both in the regular season and postseason) at Hudson High than any of his predecessors, begins his first year at Nature Coast's helm.

"I say the same thing year after year and people laughed at me at Hudson," said Nash, who went 34-31 with three regional appearances with the Cobras. "Our goal is to make the playoffs. That's been my goal since my first job as head coach and it will continue to be my goal.

"If we're fortunate enough to meet that goal, anything can happen in the playoffs."

People may have scoffed at Nash's suggestion he could build the Hudson program into a contender, but he shouldn't face such doubts with the Sharks. By virtue of being the District 6 runner-up in 2009, Nature Coast qualified for regionals a county-record fourth straight year.

The Sharks finished 7-4, reaching the playoffs by capturing a three-way tiebreaker over Hernando and Crystal River. During the offseason, the school opted to cut ties with Head Coach Mark Lee after just one season, citing a lack of communication.

Thus far Nash, who coached the team in the spring, has made a positive impression on at least a few of his new players.

"I think he's great," senior running back Isaac Bailey III said. "He's a good coach. I like him a lot. He stays on me a lot. I think he'll be a good coach for us. I think he'll be here for a long time."

Spotlight on Story

Now that Drake has left town, the spotlight turns to Ja'Juan Story. The 6-foor-4, 195-pound senior enters the season having made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Florida.

He paced the Sharks in receiving in 2009, snagging 13 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns. He also took a handful of snaps as a change-of-pace quarterback, completing 1-of-4 passes for 31 yards.

The graduation of two-year starting quarterback C.J. Baker combined with a desire to fully take advantage of the team's best playmaker will make Story the fulltime signal caller.

"It's been pretty good," Story said of the transition to quarterback. "I think I'm getting better. I'm getting the hang of the plays, running them to perfection.

"... I've got high expectations this year. Not just for me but for the team. We've never made it past the first round of the playoffs. I'm looking to change that this year. I want to go to the second round and possibly states. I want to break some records this year."

Nash noted that senior Brenton Nuby could also find himself under center from time to time, allowing Nature Coast to get creative with the versatile Story.

"He'll be important. Obviously we'll have the ball in his hands on every play," Nash said of Story. "But aside from that, one of the things people don't know about Ja'Juan is his knowledge of the game.

"When you think of Ja'Juan you think of an unbelievable athlete and a freakish body type. But on top of that, he has a terrific knowledge of the game and he's taken command of the offense more than I anticipated."

However, Nash cautioned that his offense will not rely entirely on Story. Bailey is tasked with replacing Drake in the backfield, and showed considerable promise rushing for 231 yards and a touchdown in a spring classic at Tampa Catholic.

"I think he's as good a running back as I've seen around here," Nash said. "He's got unbelievable speed. You don't seem to get a full shot on him. You catch half of his frame all the time. He's been coached well for three years.

"I think he's the most overlooked player in this area offensively. He's a completely different type of runner than Tevin Drake. He's a speedy, slashing type of running back. Tevin Drake was a big fullback in a tailback's body type of runner. He's (Bailey) the perfect back for what we're looking for in our scheme."

The Sharks will lean on those two to carry an offense that won't necessarily employ the same run-heavy, veer option attack as in past campaigns.

"It'll be a work in progress," Nash said. "We won't go out in Week 1 and light the world on fire. But there's a lot more speed and a lot more talent than we've had in a long time."

Defense stays the course

While Nash will surely put his stamp on the offensive side of the ball, the defense will remain under the tutelage of Charles Liggett.

In his capacity as defensive coordinator under previous Nature Coast coaches Jamie Joyner and Lee, Liggett has consistently produced a formidable unit.

Nash is particularly high on the defensive backfield, where both Bailey at cornerback and Nuby at free safety have established themselves as ballhawking playmakers, combining for seven interceptions in 2009.

Junior outside linebacker Richard Hart is also expected to be a major contributor, as Nash feels he "pretty much shuts down one side of the offense."

"Our perimeter defense overall will be our strong suit," Nash said. "With the defensive backs we have and the outside linebackers we have, I don't think a lot of teams are going to throw the ball effectively against us."

On special teams, senior Tyler Callaghan returns at place kicker. He converted 19-of-32 PATs and 3-of-4 field goals last season. Hart will resume his role as punter from a year ago.

"If it's (special teams) anything like we were at Hudson, we'll be good," Nash said. "We were known at Hudson for having really good special teams. One of the coaches that was able to come with me from Hudson (Vince Ferlita) was our special teams coordinator."

In the dark over district

As a new coach in 3A-6, Nash admits he doesn't know much about the eight-team district won by Dunnellon in 2009.

While the defending champion Tigers figure to remain a serious threat, Hernando appears primed to once again challenge the Sharks for both county supremacy and a potential playoff spot.

"The main thing is to stay healthy throughout the course of the season," Nash said. "If we're able to stay healthy, I think we have enough talent to make a run at it. I like our chances.

"... We just need to keep plugging along; keep pounding the rock and stay healthy and we have the talent to make noise in the district if nothing else."

2010 NATURE COAST TECHNICAL SHARKS FOOTBALL ROSTER
NO. NAME HGT WGT POSITIONS YR
01 Ja'Juan Story 6'4" 195 QB/WR/DB 12
03 George Jackson 6'1" 165 WR/DB 12
04 Matt Breida 5'8" 145 RB/DB 10
05 Tyler Callaghan 5'8" 145 WR/OLB/PK 12
07 Brenton Nuby 5'7" 165 QB/DB 12
08 Joe Berrios 5'11" 180 FB/ILB 10
09 Ryan Maniaci 5'9" 135 QB/DB 11
12 Chailen Hicks 5'10" 150 WR/DB 12
20 Tyler Bushman 5'10" 165 FB/MLB 11
21 Anthony Carlucci 5'8" 150 WR/OLB 12
24 Isaac Bailey 5'10" 155 TB/DB 12
30 Richard Hart 5'9" 168 FB/OLB 11
33 Josh Benyola 5'9" 180 FB/ILB 10
35 Anthony Stellato 6'0" 180 WR/ILB 12
41 Jesse Bertone 5'10" 150 WR/DB 12
42 Aaron Poole 6'1" 181 TE/OLB 11
44 Ryan Lallement 6'0" 165 TE/MLB 11
46 Cody Cabeza 6'0" 185 FB/MLB 12
49 Luke McCarty 5'8" 170 FB/ILB 12
52 Brandon Cullen 5'9" 265 OL/DL 12
53 Jose Estrada 6'0" 185 OL/DL 11
54 Aaron Murray 6'0" 180 OL/DE 11
55 Robert Ryan 5'9" 180 OL/DL 11
56 Chase Barrett 5'11" 190 OL/DL 11
57 Darius Stewart 6'3" 348 OL/DL 11
58 Jay Feret 6'4" 245 OL/DL 12
60 Nathan Hamble 6'2" 220 OL/DL 11
62 Robert Wadsworth 6'0" 205 OL/DL 11
63 Lance LeDoux 6'1" 260 OL/DL 11
65 Keith Dodson 6'4" 230 OL/DE 12
69 Chance Armstrong 6'0" 205 OL/DL 12
74 Justin Donovan 5'10" 200 OL/DL 12
79 Greg Jarque 6'2" 280 OL/DL 12
81 Zach Prezkop 6'0" 135 WR/DB 12
83 Maxx Ruiz 6'0" 210 TE/LB 12

Head Coach: Mark Nash (1st Year: 0-0; 7th Year: 34-31 lifetime)
Assistant Coaches: Gary Allen, Vince Ferlita, Billy Hughes,
Robert Kazmier, Ed LaRose, Charles Liggett, Rob Mahler,
Jeff Swihart, Rudy Story, Brian Wilson.

2010 Nature Coast Technical Sharks Football Schedule
Head Coach - Mark Nash (1st Year)

Date Opponent Site Time
09-03 Brooksville-Central* Home 7:30 p.m.
09-10 Spring Hill-Springstead* Home 7:30 p.m.
09-17 Crystal River+ Home 7:30 p.m.
09-24 Tavares+ Away 7 p.m.
10-01 Leesburg+ Home 7:30 p.m.
10-09 Bye
10-15 Dunnellon+ Away 7:30 p.m.
10-22 Citrus+^ Home 7:30 p.m.
10-29 Eustis+ Away 7 p.m.
11-05 Brooksville-Hernando*+ Home 7:30 p.m.
11-12 Tarpon Springs-East Lake Away 7:30 p.m.
11-19 1st Round FHSAA Playoffs TBA 7:30 p.m.
^ Denotes Homecoming Game
* Denotes Hernando County game
+ Denotes Class 3A, District 6 game