Sharks Clicking on All Cylinders in Preseason Romp

INVERNESS – As far as dress rehearsals go, it’s tough to look more ready for that opening curtain than Nature Coast did last Friday night.

Paying a visit to Citrus High for a preseason football classic, the Sharks raced out to a big lead early and thoroughly dominated the inexperienced, undermanned Hurricanes as expected. The final result was a 68-0 triumph that, regardless of the opponent, had to produce plenty of positive vibes heading into the start of the regular season.

“Can’t be too mad about anything,” Nature Coast head coach Rob Kazmier said. “Defensively, we played great. We got a lot of guys in. That’s something that’s a point of emphasis for us. That playoff loss (last season) to South Sumter, they got a steady rotation of guys they put in. That’s something that we’re trying to develop, too.

“… We got film to see who can do what. Then you can make those decisions for the rest of the season, who’s going to play where and who’s going to get how many reps to try to keep the miles off some of these guys. Very positive all the way around for this game.”

The numbers for the Sharks, who went 8-3 in 2023, were pretty staggering in every facet. They threw for 272 yards and ran for 286. They held the Hurricanes, who were 1-9 a year ago, to 23 yards of total offense on 40 plays while limiting them to four first downs, three of which came on penalties.

Nature Coast also scored on seven of its first eight possessions and seemed to do so with increasing efficiency.

Timothy Gaynor ran in a 1-yard touchdown to put the Sharks on the board at 7:58 in the first quarter. They needed just three plays to go 45 yards on the next drive, with Jasir Harvin taking a direct snap and punching it into the end zone from a yard out at the 5:49 mark.

Their ensuing possession went even faster. In just one play, Jackson Hoyt hit Jacorrion Owens on a short pass that turned into a 55-yard scoring strike as Owens worked his way across the field and down the right sideline.

In just four plays, Nature Coast went 60 yards and scored on a 2-yard run by Gaynor, and in only one play, Harvin took a pitch and went untouched on a 60-yard burst, making it 35-0 on the final play of the first quarter. Harvin rushed for 100 yards on four carries.

Gaynor added a third touchdown, this one for seven yards, in the second quarter. Zayden McKenzie stripped a ball out of the Citrus running back’s hands and took it 26 yards to the end zone, and Rodney Jones tacked on a 4-yard touchdown dive to make it 55-0 by the halftime horn.

Hoyt started the game 6-for-6 passing for 187 yards. The senior signal caller finished 8 of 13 for 212 yards, with the one touchdown and one interception, all in the first half.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do and we succeeded,” Hoyt said. “This gives us confidence to play against anybody we want and we can play with anybody.”

The entire second half was played under a running clock and went by swiftly. Xavier McCullough had a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and backup quarterback Drew Sitar hit Jones on a slant that went for a 60-yard score in the fourth.

“We brought a lot of kids because we knew we would probably get a chance to sub some in and develop some depth, which was great for this game. You saw a glimpse of the future there, too,” Kazmier said. “We had some freshmen linemen out there. Our whole defense was almost freshmen at one point, I think. And then we’ve got two very explosive running backs in Nick Elwin and Rodney Jones, who they fit the mold of what we do at Nature Coast. So that’s exciting.

“We’ve got eight seniors and all underclassmen. We wanted to come in and get some work and throw some different things together. We got Jackson throwing the ball pretty well at times. We went on a tear early throwing. We had some rusty penalties. They were calling holding on the edge with the receivers, which will happen.”

Next up for the Sharks, they’ll travel to Groveland to take on South Lake on Friday in the first action of the regular season.

“That’s 68 points with the clock running the whole second half. You’ve got to be on fire a little bit no matter who you’re playing, for sure,” Kazmier said. “We go over (to South Lake), they’re a pretty good team. They had a great spring game. They beat a great Foundation Academy team back in May. So I’m aware of that.

“We’ll get their film from whoever they’re playing tonight. We’ll see what they look like. Hopefully get a good week of practice if the weather allows us. JV game Thursday at Weeki Wachee and we’ve got Week 1. Back to the grind of the season.”