Schools
New Coach, New Season at Northeast High
Football practices have begun for local high schools and a new chapter at Northeast is about to begin.
It's officially football season in the Tampa Bay area.
Friday night the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play their first preseason game of the season, South Florida is camping in Vero Beach and local high schools kicked off preseason practices this week.
King Football is back and all other activities can rightly take their back seat through January.
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Coaches and players are excited to finally get started after weeks of seven-on-seven summer tournaments and leagues. That's also the case for the Northeast High School Vikings, so says first-year coach Mike Jalazo.
"The kids are flying around," Jalazo said. "I think the kids are just excited to get in pads."
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Jalazo is eager as well. For the first time in 38 years a man not named Austin is coaching Northeast. After successful stints at Admiral Farragut and very successful years at Clearwater Central Catholic where he helped produce future NFL players wide receiver Riley Cooper and linebacker Colin McCarthy, and a less-than-successful season last year at Leto High School, Jalazo is hoping to return to his winning ways.
He just may have the offense to do it. Judging by the first few practices, Jalazo is very high on quarterback Ryan Davis.
The projected Vikings starting quarterback is the younger brother of former St. Petersburg Catholic quarterback and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Davis.
"I am really impressed with what Ryan Davis can do at quarterback," Jalazo said. "He's running the spread-option and he is quick."
And if the first few days of practice mean anything, Davis will have one heck of a target with tight end Augie Sanchez.
Jalazo doesn't often brag too much about players, but when he does he is astute. When Cooper was a freshman, Jalazo stated then he had a chance to play on Sundays and Jalazo was right.
With Sanchez, Jalazo compared him to former Florida and current New England tight end Aaron Hernandez.
"He has a chance to be special," Jalazo said of Sanchez. "He reminds me of Aaron Hernandez. He's not in the mold of a 6-8, 280-pound tight end. He's a tweener. He's a guy who creates mismatches."
Right now in the early days of preseason practices, Jalazo's main goal is conditioning.
"We need to work in rhythm from what I have seen thus far," Jalazo said. "The kids are flying around and are in good shape but not as good of a shape as we should be. The kids are hungry."
