One of the potential up and coming teams in Hernando County resides out of Weeki Wachee under the watch of Jacob Gray, who was formerly a special teams coordinator at the legendary Jacksonville Bolles program. Gray is tasked with turning around the Hornets and he’s already got the program heading in the right direction, especially with returning a couple of studs in quarterback Victor Sykora and running back Sebastian Class. We asked Gray a few burning questions heading into their first preseason game.
AV: What are the goals and expectations you’ve set upon this squad?
JG: When our best 11 are lined up with anyone else’s best 11 on this schedule, we should have a shot. The expectation is to have the first winning team in school history and the goals are to compete for a district title.
AV: Victor Sykora looked good in the spring versus Anclote. How much better did he get during the summer?
JG: Not only can he pick people apart in a 7-on-7 format but his coming in live throw situations is great. Show the ability to command the run-pass-option section of our offense. The offensive line playing at a high level has helped him get more comfortable as well.
AV: Everyone knows Sebastian Class is one of the top backs in Hernando, but where do you feel he ranks in the area?
JG: He’s really good, take a 1,300-yard back, put 10 more pounds of muscle on him and I would guess he’s a 1,500-yard back this year.
AV: What should people expect from the defense this season?
JG: Last year the defense shaved 10 points a game off from the previous year and we returned nine of the starting 11.
AV: Was there anyone else who stood out during the summer workouts and 7-on-7’s?
JG: Brian Strickland and David Richards will be the best 1-2 punch out wide that you will find anywhere around us. The two junior linemen Jon Higgins and John Mangarillo have started to gain some interest at the FCS level.
