King Lions Are Ready To Roar

Despite moving up two classes and joining the “District of Death,” the King Lions said they are confident they can have a positive season, improve on their 5-5 mark of last season, and possibly even make a run at the playoffs.

The “District of Death” is the new 6A District 8 that King finds themselves in this year.

Last year's team records look like this:

Jefferson, 15-0 (5-0 in the district) won 3A state title
Armwood, 14-1 (3-0 in the district) lost 4A state title
Hillsborough, 8-5 (2-1 in the district) made playoffs
Sickles, 7-5 (2-1 in the district) made playoffs
Strawberry Crest, 6-5 (2-4 in the district)
King, 5-5 (1-2 in the district)
Leto, 1-10 (0-3 in the district)

Only two teams from each district go to the playoffs. King will have to convince three teams that made the playoffs last year not to go this year.

“We feel like we can come out on top of our district,” said Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Coach Trey Thomas.

It’s a tall order, there’s no doubt about it.

But they’re not about to back down from the challenge.

“We’re ready to stand up to all of them,” said Thomas. “To be the best, you gotta beat the best.”

And their old district was no picnic either. They still had to get through Armwood and Hillsborough to sniff the playoffs.

One stable point for them is the quarterback position.

Greg Windham returns for his senior season after throwing for 1,469 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 277 yards and adding five more touchdowns on the ground.

“He’s our guy,” said Head Coach Al Davis.

Greg is big kid. He’s probably six-foot-two by now and just shy of 200 pounds. His durability is going to be tantamount for King to succeed.

The 7 on 7 tournaments over the summer are a huge help in bringing cohesiveness to the passing game. 7 on 7’s is a football drill that pits the quarterback, wide receivers and running backs against the linebackers and safeties of another team. Usually this is done inter-squad, but Florida has exploded in recent years with 7 on 7 tournaments.

King recently won a smaller, NFL High School Player Development 7 on 7 Tournament, beating Tampa Catholic on a last-second Hail Mary for a touchdown.

This past weekend, King rolled right into The BCP 9 Route 7 on 7 Tournament in Lithia. They dropped their first game in a tight one with Newsome, 21-20. Then, they blew out Strawberry Crest, 39-24. They dominated Tampa Catholic in their third pool game, 32-6. They put up a good fight against Plant, who has been dominant in 7 on 7’s this summer but fell 33-19 in their fourth and final pool game.

Needing a replacement for their leading rusher and receiver from last season, these competitions should go a long way into determining at least who should have the opportunity to assume those roles.

At running back, a huge void was left with Shawn Hibbert’s graduation. Hibbert toted the rock 86 times last year for the Lions.

“This year will definitely be more running back by committee,” said Thomas.

They have four good backs that they will use in different situations. Tirrence Cason returns for his senior year and might see the slight majority of the carries, but there’s no telling. Junior Marcus Brown and senior George Green are veterans of the varsity team and will pick up carries during the season. Levandre Thomas is a transfer student who will get touches as well.

Last year’s leading receiver, Reese Sturgs, moved on. The Lions won’t just miss his 39 catches, they’ll also miss his leadership value as a team captain.

“We’re hoping Chris Murray will step into that role,” said Thomas.

Chris Murray returns for his senior season after hauling in 27 balls for just under 500 yards and seven touchdowns in his junior campaign. Murray flips around and holds down an important cornerback position for King as well.

On the other side, senior Taylor Gonzalez will try to keep pressure off the run game. Gonzalez only caught nine passes as a junior, but the 7 on 7 tournaments should help him develop his route-running.

Marcus Brown will pose as a threat at receiver as well, mainly coming out of the backfield or in the slot. Kim Jackson is another receiver who should be a factor.

If there are question marks for the Lions, they are up front on offense.

Omri Snow, Romario Dunbar, Mario Dunbar and Braden Smith are all first-year starters on the offensive line. Braden Smith is the only one that has any experience on the varsity team.

“Smith should develop. He’s a smart kid, president of the sophomore class, great in the classroom,” said Thomas.

Three-year starter and team captain, junior Dennis Meyer, should lead the group, and even make all the protection calls from his right guard spot. According to Thomas, scouts from Notre Dame are interested in Dennis.

“He’s big, strong and has got a nasty streak,” said Thomas.

The loss of Darrell Baker and Tavis Campbell on defense left holes at all three levels of the defense.

Fortunately, Chris Murray will be available to stabilize the secondary. Chris had 22 total tackles and five interceptions last year and has been playing very well in the 7 on 7’s.

However, a lot of question marks remain for the linebackers and defensive linemen. There are plenty of talented athletes on the team, some of them just need to emerge. This could happen in August and the Lions will still be okay.

The strength of this team is in its cohesiveness, just ask Coach Thomas.

“If we have one good thing going for us right now, it’s cohesiveness,” said Thomas.