H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Nyjee Washington, 2016 Class

Nyjee Washington
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Kathleen senior cornerback Nyjee Washington said that he enjoyed winning the Red Devils’ first game of the season against Lake Gibson. Why? It let the world know his team was for real.

“It felt so good, it was intense,” he said. “We’re very slept on, we’re very underrated. If you looked at the rankings we weren’t even ranked. We came out and shut a lot of people up so it felt very good. Defensively we could have done better, but played very well. We were put to the test and we did very well.”

That victory was the first step to the Red Devils’ 9-0 start and the team’s surprise ascension to the top of Class 7A, District 7. Kathleen’s defense has passed every test so far this season; they’ve allowed only 13.6 points per game and they’ve survived two road trips against top 7A competition. Washington has been a serious contributor to the team and said that he began to take football serious when he was encouraged by head coach Irving Strickland coming out of middle school.

“In eighth grade I was focused on basketball. But I sat down with Coach Strickland and we talked. I came out and played football and I still had it. My sophomore year, I didn’t play my freshman year. That’s when I started taking it seriously.”

He said that Strickland, who is in his eighth year as Red Devils’ head coach, is an intense teacher that works to get the best out of his players.

“Coach Stric is a good man, he pushes you. All that yelling and stuff that’s just him trying to get you mentally tough. I respect that. When I first got out here, that was hard on me because I wasn’t used to being yelled at. But he and other coaches have been molding me, and they see the potential in me.”

Washington has not received any offers from any collegiate programs, but neither have many other Red Devil defenders. He said that his desire to get to the next level is fuel to his team’s competitive fire.

“It motivates me a lot,” he said. “It pushes me to work super hard, because I want to play at the next level. You have to have that mentality that somebody is always working harder than you. So if you love what you do, you gotta stay on it.”

Washington and the Red Devils hope to clinch the Class 7A, District 7 championship and earn the team’s first undefeated season since 2003 Friday night when they take on the Lakeland Dreadnaughts.

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Cameraman Hasani

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Jacob Waibel, 2016 Class

 

Jacob Waibel
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Fort Meade linebacker Jacob Waibel said that he had to seriously consider if he really wanted to play football after an injury sidelined him his sophomore year.

“I just moved up to varsity and I broke my leg when we played Hardee. That’s when you have to check yourself if you really want to keep doing this when it’s hurting your body and causing you injuries. You have to see if it’s really worth it.”

The Frostproof native decided to keep playing and since transferring to Fort Meade in 2014, he’s been a fixture on the Miner defense. Waibel said that the key to his recovery and return to the game wasn’t a physical challenge, but a mental one.

“The confidence in it was the hardest part about coming back,” he said. “The hardest part was when someone fell on it again and knowing it was okay but the mental aspect of thinking it may be broken again. That was the hardest thing. Track season the following year was very hard because I ran hurdles and coming down on it…it was more psychological than it was the physical leg itself.”

Waibel is a 175lb inside linebacker, “a little on the smaller side” he says, but don’t let his size deceive you. He’s third among Miner players with 32 tackles this season. Fort Meade’s defense has given up an average of 4.5 points per game and he and fellow linebacker Austin Castillo are a big reason why. Waibel said that being a cerebral, disciplined player help him consistently be one of the first players to the ball.

“You have to be very focused mentally,” he said. “You have to be very technical. I didn’t play so good last week [referencing Crescent City game], that’s why you saw me running earlier today. Personally getting myself better, coach didn’t tell me to do that or anything. I just have to keep focused and play good football.”

He said that one of the first things he noticed about his new school was the unity between students.

“The atmosphere,” he said. “Everybody’s a family in the school. My old school had cliques, but here, there’s only 75 people in my graduating class. So everybody knows everybody and we go do whatever all the time.”

Waibel is in contact with Greenville College in Illinois and Stevenson College in Maryland, both Division III schools, in track and football. Waibel runs the 300m and 110m hurdles.

“That’s the whole goal. Going to college has never been a question to me, I’m going to go regardless. If football can pay for it, that’s great.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Titus Moye Photography

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Austin Plaisted, 2016 Class

 

Austin Plaisted

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George Jenkins offensive lineman Austin Plaisted said that he knew he could be a great football player when he played his first varsity game as a sophomore.

“It was a whole different caliber of football that I really enjoyed,” he said. “And then it clicked, it was like, I could be proficient at this. I can become really good. That summer after my sophomore year I worked hard in the weight room and didn't give myself any days off. I was making football a job; trying to get better at everything I was able to.”

Now, the senior offensive tackle is a leader on the Eagles offensive line; protecting young upstart freshman quarterback Ski McWilliams. Plaisted has received a verbal offer from Division III program Birmingham Southern and attention from Minnesota-Deluth, the University of West Florida and Southeastern University. He also runs track and is on the weightlifting team. 

During most of his varsity career, Plaisted has been under the guidance of Eagles head coach Richard Tate. Tate has coached in Polk County for more than 12 years and has led Polk County schools Kathleen and Ridge Community to district championships. As the Eagles seek to earn their first playoff berth since 2003, Plaisted said that he enjoys the energy Tate brings to the Eagles.

“Coach Tate is one of the best coaches I've probably ever had,” he said. “He can get in your face and give you constructive criticism, or he can be your best friend; one of those guys you love to be around and you love to be coached by. He's a leader of men and he wants you to get better. He might be yelling at you and stuff, but all he wants is your success. That's all he wants from the team and all he wants from individuals.” 

In his freshman year, Plaisted didn't play football but instead attended Summerlin Academy in Bartow. He said that his time in the military school served him well.

“I really enjoyed it there. It was a good year of military school. It helped me grades in line, because they were really strict on grades. It also made me become a better person. When it makes you feel like you're not higher than anyone else it keeps you down to earth and makes you strive to become that guy.”

Plaisted has received good lessons from his coaches and schooling, but he credits his father, a former middle linebacker that played his college ball in Minnesota, with giving him one of the most important lessons of all.

“He never let me quit,” he said. “There were some seasons I wanted to quit and he just never let me. I'm so glad because I'm in my senior year and I'm really loving this sport.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Cameraman Hasani

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Darrion Gardner, 2016 Class

 

Darrion Gardner
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Fort Meade defensive lineman Darrion Gardner said there's a reason the Fort Meade Miner defense has only given up 28 points in their six games this season.

“We got a lot of guys with a lot of skills so we just talk up to each other,” he said. “We look to each other to improve each other. We all work together like we're leaders. We don't have any followers in the group, we're all leaders.”

The senior defensive end and defensive tackle is in his first year at Fort Meade. He's a Frostproof native that has made the left side of the Miner defensive line his new home. Gardner said he's always liked playing on the defensive side of the ball; dishing out hits instead of taking them.

“First time I played football was my pee wee year in little league. I was a little skinnier then, so I was playing running back and quarterback. I really didn't like getting hit, so they moved me back to linebacker. I started playing defense there. For me it felt better because I wasn't receiving the pain, I was giving it. Plus I had a bit of anger in me so when I got hit I just reacted.”

Gardner said that he came up admiring the play of former Frostproof stars Carlton Thomas, Greg Bell and Ellis Brummell.

“Those were the guys I looked up to,” he said. “I lived in a very small part of Frostproof that a lot of people don't know about. They often came around, saw how I was doing, and hung out.”

In the Miner's six games, Gardner has earned 29 tackles this season and has received attention from Maine's Hudson University, a Division III program.

“It just shows me that I have a chance of making it to the next level,” he said. “And if I keep pushing I can make it and help my family.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Titus Moye Photography

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Nathan Music, 2016 Class

Nathan Music
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Fort Meade center Nathan Music said that when he saw the Miners were ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, he had only one response.

“Dern right we’re number one,” he said. “We’re gonna earn it, we’re gonna work hard for it, and by the end of the season we’re going to still be on top.”

Halfway through the 2015 season Fort Meade is undefeated and the Miner offensive line has made running back Tyler King one of the leading rushers in Polk County. The 6’1” 270lb senior center is in his fourth year as a starter for the Miners. He played as a tight end and right tackle in earlier years.

When recalling his first memory of football, Music remembers a sight most of Polk County is only beginning to become familiar with.

“It would have to be when I was about six years’ old playing flag,” he said. “My buddy Tyler King scored and all I remember is running around in a circle holding up the number one.”

That was 12 years ago, but Music’s memory of the past could very well be a vision of the future. The Miners are 6-0 and need only one game to clinch the district title. Music also said that King isn’t the only Miner that he’s known since his childhood.

“I came up with pretty much everybody on the team,” he said. “I played with them since our first couple years in flag all the way up to here. They’re like my brothers. Some of them are closer than family.”

Though he’s known most of his teammates since little league, Music said he became serious when he started playing JV football.

“No one looks at you in little league,” he said. “JV was like the game-changer, made me step it up a notch.”

Music said that he received help from 2012 Fort Meade graduate Chad Self during his time on junior varsity.

“It was the year before I started on varsity,” he said. “I was on JV and every day in practice he would help me out and show me different ways to get to the guy faster or better.”

Music has been a staple of the Miners offense since the 2012 season, and he said that his relationship has developed with his teammates as well as Fort Meade head coach Jemalle Cornelius.

“Coach Cornelius, JV and when I first started on varsity we bumped heads a lot because I had to learn my stuff,” he said. “But I went to a time in my family where things weren’t so great and he was there for me. I asked him to pray about something with me he prayed with me. Overall he’s just a great mentor.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Titus Moye Photography

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Victor Austin, 2016 Class

Victor Austin

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Kathleen senior running back Victor Austin says that there's one thing great players have to let go in order to be their best.

“Listening to the audience,” he said. “Listen to the coaches.”

Kathleen is undefeated going into October, and Austin has contributed 256 yards on 47 carries so far this season. Entering the season Austin wasn't the Red Devils' starting running back, Izayah Riette was. But when Riette rolled into the end zone and dislocated his shoulder against Lake Gibson Aug 29, Austin took the role. Austin says that this year's group of Red Devils are made of players that are dedicated and ready to lead when necessary.

“We have a lot of team leaders this year,” he said. “All the seniors this year, we want to be leaders. Nyjee Washington, Frank Nelson, Justin Andrews, Taurence Wilson. Our defense is pretty much made of leaders.”

Kathleen now plays in Class 7A, District 7 with Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Bartow. Each game will be huge for Polk County football and will draw massive crowds, but Austin says that he has been taught to not get caught up in the limelight.

“Coach told us not to pay attention to any of that,” he said. “He just told us to play hard, have fun, and do what we do. He told us to stay in the system. If everybody wants to play for a district title, everybody has to put in. 110 percent in practice, 110 percent in the weight room, it means taking care of your body, everything.”

Austin says that he became dedicated to the game of football in his ninth grade year. He says that in that time he received grooming from former Red Devils that now play college level.

“My 9th grade year. Played with Rovonta Johnson, he plays with Stillman now. He kind of inspired me. He was like a brother when I was here. He kind of taught me all the different things that I really know.”

Austin hasn't yet received any real attention from college football programs, but he holds a mantra that has gotten many to the next level.

“Hard work. It's really gonna pay off.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Cameraman Hasani

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Natwann Callaway, 2016 Class

Natwann Callaway

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Kathleen senior linebacker Natwann Callaway knew he was meant to be a Kathleen linebacker since the eighth grade. All it took was a hard tackle on an unsuspecting little league player.

“My first play at linebacker came in my eighth grade year. I asked my little league coach Malcolm if I could play linebacker and he said yeah. The first play of the game we were on defense and all I saw was that running back get the ball; and I just flew into him. That was the biggest hit I’ve had in my life.”

Since then, the four-year letterman has been a staple on Kathleen’s defense and one of the key ingredients to the Red Devils’ undefeated record in the team’s first four games. He was a starter in Kathleen 20-3 upset of Lakeland that made the Red Devils district champions in 2013, and he also was a part of last year’s team that missed the playoffs after finishing with a 5-5 record. Callaway says that leadership and experience are the two biggest factors in his team’s success.

“The key difference between this year and last year is leadership. We have more seniority. You don’t always have too many mouths trying to talk at once. When one leader talks, everybody just listens. When we played Jenkins we started out slow on defense. The players on offense got on the field and said that they had us. A couple of plays later they had a touchdown.”

Watching last season’s playoff hopes slip away was a learning experience for Callaway. He realized last year that role of defensive leader was his; but he didn’t take charge until the season was over.

“Last year I wasn’t as vocal as I am this year. This year is my senior year and it’s time for me to step up. Even last year I was a veteran; I’ve been on varsity since my freshman year so I learned all the ropes real early but I didn’t start getting vocal until this year. I should have done it last year, but that’s the difference between this year and last. Last year all I was doing was calling plays on the defense. I wasn’t vocal. I wasn’t taking control like I was supposed to.”

Callaway says that last year’s missteps have made him and his teammates into stronger players. The senior has also received guidance from his family; who have also worn the Kathleen red and black.

“I had older cousins, older family that came through Kathleen just like I have. Deandre Callaway, Ronnie Callaway, Edward Taylor, Tony Black, Shaquille Black, Tony Black, Jr. They all came through and as I was coming through as a freshman Shaquille Black, my first cousin, was a senior. He told me a lot of things that help me now today. He told me what to prepare for in my senior year."

“I know how to be vocal. I know how to encourage my teammates instead of criticizing them. I don’t get mad when my teammates make mistakes on defense. He showed me how to do that. I remember my 10th grade year, my first year starting, I missed a couple tackles, and he didn’t get mad at me. He said something to me but he didn’t get mad. He just said, ‘Tighten up, you’ll get them next time, make up for it.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Cameraman Hasani

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Izayah Riettie, 2016 Class

Izayah Riettie

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Senior Kathleen running back Izayah Riette scored his team’s first touchdown of the season. The score was the catalyst to the Red Devils’ 27-19 thrashing of city rival Lake Gibson and it was the first step in the team’s 3-0 start for the 2015 season.

Unfortunately, Izayah dislocated his shoulder on the play and hasn’t played a down of football since the score.

“I got the ball, had a lot of space and I was so determined to get into the end zone,” he said. “The opponent was in front of me and went low, so I just dove into the end zone and landed on my shoulder. When I first scored I couldn’t celebrate because I couldn’t move my arm; I didn’t think nothing of it until I felt it pop out when I sat down. But I felt good about the score. It was a big momentum shift.”

The senior, who is courting interest from Tennessee State, Florida Tech and Valparaiso, now receives treatment and anxiously awaits his next opportunity to carry the ball.

“I don’t really get upset because we’re winning, but sometimes on offense when we struggle sometimes on offense I think about how it would be if I was out there. I’ve been getting treatment and electroshock from my sports trainer. I can move my arm now and I hope to be back next week.”

Last year, Riette was a starting cornerback for the Red Devils and a staple in Kathleen’s defense. In film he can be seen breaking up deep passes and aggressively throwing himself in the direction of the ball on nearly every play. Riette says that his shift to the offensive side of the ball was guided by 2015 Kathleen graduate Roddrick Haynes.

“He really helped me a lot,” he said. “His senior year ended wrong and he showed me a lot of the negative things he did that season and helped me out with some positive advice."

The Red Devils barely missed the playoffs in 2014. This year, Riette says that leadership is the biggest difference from last year’s team.

“The season showed us that we had to be serious because most of that whole year we didn’t take it serious. We didn’t have many leaders last year so we had to lead our teammates. I had to become a leader when I realized I was starting at running back.”

“I started running extra and being more vocal; I like to talk but not from a leadership standpoint. I had to open up more to my teammates.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Visions by Teemo

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Landlin May, 2016 Class

Landlin May

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In the 2014 season, Landlin May was an afterthought to many who watched the Lakeland Dreadnaughts games.

“I would play the last three minutes in the first half, and in the fourth quarter,” he said. “It was my first year on varsity.”

This year, the 6’2” 235lb defensive lineman is prepared to be a force on the Dreadnaughts front line, and a key figure in the team’s pursuit of a second straight district championship. May said that last season’s playoff loss to Kissimmee Osceola motivated him and his returning teammates to build themselves for next season.

“I broke down crying when we lost last season. But that’s the motivation though. None of us want to feel like that again.”

May said that he entered the 2015 spring season with a workhorse mentality. He became the guy who would do anything the team needed, and in that time he became very useful to head coach Bill Castle.

“I would be the guy that would do every rep in practice and in the weight room,” May said. “I would work out with my mentor Shandale Terrell after our spring workouts. I was hungry for PT this year.”

May is currently receiving interest from Florida Tech, Milsap, and Moss University. The defensive end and tackle said that he is prepared to prove his worth while defending Bryant Stadium; a place opposing teams have not won since 2013.

“Every time we step on the field, Lakeland always has a target on its back,” he said. “Our coaches tell us we will always get a team’s best when we play them.”

In fact, May says that one his favorite moments as a Dreadnaught came when a city rival entered Bryant Stadium hoping to knock off May and his team in the opening game of the 2015 season, and fell short.

“I really enjoyed the Lake Gibson game,” he said. “Everybody thought they had all these 5-star players and that they were going to beat us, but it was the complete opposite; we ended up blowing them out. And they had some really good players. I love that feeling; that feeling of victory.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Victoria Rodriguez (Student Photographer)

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Jarrod Kelley, 2016 Class

Jarrod Kelley
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Auburndale 2016 cornerback Jarrod Kelley calls himself “Jayrod the Great”. It’s a title that may be tough to live up to, but Kelley doesn’t mind holding himself to higher standards.

“I call myself JayRod the Great because it’s a standard that I live up to,” he said. “Whether you’re in the classroom or the field, you have to be greater than the person across from you.”

Kelley is a senior in his first season at Auburndale. Last year he was a defensive staple on Winter Haven’s district championship winning team. The Blue Devil turned Bloodhound has received offers from Eastern Kentucky and West Florida, and is more than two-thirds completed with his Associate degree from Winter Haven’s Polk State College. Kelley says that taking college classes has made him more disciplined as a student, player and person.

“You don’t have the teacher there to tell you to stay up on your assignments, you have to have your own work ethic,” he said. “You really have to put your work in because you don’t get to turn in work late very often. I want to major in computer technology and I want to earn my Master’s by the time my eligibility is up.”

According to Kelley, he began taking his football career serious in the latter part of his freshman year.

“It got serious in spring of my freshman year after being moved up to varsity,” he said. “My cornerbacks coach gathered me and two that were moving up in my class and he said, ‘This is special, we haven’t had three sophomores on varsity in a while, and nearly all of those players reached the next level.’ It made me begin to work harder, take the weight room seriously, and focus more.”

Kelley was molded by other cornerbacks with Division I talent in his earlier years. He says that South Alabama cornerback Darian Mills played a huge role in his development as a player.

“He moved from corner to quarterback because we didn’t have one. He would work with me before and after practice and made sure the team was as safe with me at corner as it was with him. He was really an older brother to me.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Dallas Gadberry Photos

H8ME 6ROWN TAL3NT - Jessie Britt, 2016 Class

Jessie Britt

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Auburndale running back Jessie Britt set Polk County on fire in his junior season. He scored 96 points in 2014, the third most in the area, and he earned 14 touchdowns, 673 offensive yards, and 25 tackles. His dedication to the game is obvious to opponents and spectators, but the senior Western Kentucky commit says that his motivation to be great is much more personal.

“Most people don’t know why I do what I do, but it’s because of my Mom,” Britt said. “She raised six kids all by herself and I grew up with all girls. I didn’t really have anyone to bond with. I felt like I was at a disadvantage because most kids start playing flag at age four and I didn’t really learn the game until high school.”

When Britt finally did play at the prep level, he made an immediate impact. In a 2012 game against Frostproof, Jessie Britt became a first-year varsity starter.

“It got serious when I was in 9th grade. I played JV for the first few games and I got moved up to varsity. Our starting tailback got hurt and I took his place. I looked at the stats after the game and I saw I did pretty well. It made me think, if I’m doing this at 14, wait until I’m older and more developed.”

Jessie Britt verbally committed to Western Kentucky in early August.

“Communication was the biggest factor in my decision. Their coaches call me on a regular basis and have a good relationship with my mother and family. I felt like it was the right place for me to be.”

Britt says before his mother pushed him to become a college athlete, she was strongly against him playing football. But now, things have changed.

“My mother didn’t want her only boy getting hurt. My cousin, who coaches me now, convinced her to let me play and since then she’s been pushing me to succeed.”

Britt’s Bloodhounds lost their first game of the 2015 season to Stuart Martin County 34-7. He says that the team hadn’t built the relationships necessary for collective success, but they are working to get on the same page.

“We weren’t well bonded yet. We have a lot of starters coming from other schools so we didn’t have chemistry. We bonded this past weekend. We hung out and each day of the week we had a player stand up and say something that a lot of people don’t know about them. We’re beginning to become a brotherhood.”

Writer - James Bennett, Jr.

Photographer - Dallas Gadberry Photos