By: Malcolm Shields
With the final week of spring football practice on the horizon, Spanish River High School coach Rod Payne has had the opportunity to see what his team was able to gain from the Sharks’ spring jamboree on May 18. “The biggest thing our team took from spring was that they see now their abilities. We do have quite a bit of talent here,” Payne said. For the Sharks, gone are impact players Reggie Love, Josh Ricks and Taylor Schnaars and in steps a core of seniors who will try to turn around the fortunes of the Sharks football program.
“It’s exciting for the kids. It’s exciting for the school. It’s exciting for a program that has been down for the better part of a decade,” Payne said. One of those seniors that will lead the Sharks in 2012 is Sam Darwiche. He is a versatile player who will play running back and fullback on offense and defensive end on defense.
On the offensive line, Benjamin Mogul will provide support for Spanish River’s running and passing game. Mogul will also be called upon to play linebacker on defense. Nicholas Engman will also provide stability on the offensive line at the center position. Playing alongside him on defense will be fellow senior linebacker Reggy Joseph.
Another two-way player for Spanish River is Kashon Taylor. As a cornerback, he will play an important role in the secondary for the Sharks. Taylor also will play some wide receiver and running back on offense.
As the first year coach at Spanish River, the process of changing the actions and not the attitude has been one of the first tasks for Payne. “It has not been hard to change the thought process,” Payne said. “The tougher thing is to change the actions to be consistent in the actions to be where we want to be.”
The issue of consistency was evident in the Sharks’ spring jamboree as Spanish River committed multiple penalties and missed assignments on both sides of the ball. Despite the mistakes, the players have the right attitude to learn from their mistakes. “Our kids want to win. Our kids want to be apart of successful program,” Payne said. “They are willing to do what it takes to get there.”
The key for Spanish River to make the next step to be competitive in the difficult District 13-7A, which includes Dwyer High School, Royal Palm Beach High School and Atlantic High School, is to put in the proper work during the offseason to prepare for its strenuous district schedule. All six of the Sharks’ losses in 2011 were in district games.
Head coach: Rod Payne
2011 Record: (4-6, 0-6 District 13-7A)
Spring jamboree results: Tied Gulliver Prep 0-0, lost to West Boca Raton 3-0
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