The P.K. Yonge football program took another step forward last year.
Following a 3-7 campaign in 2023, the Blue Wave (5-5) earned a postseason bid and a No. 7 seed in last year’s FHSAA Class 1A state playoffs.
“Last year, we made some improvements,” said former Gator wide receiver Willie Jackson, who enters his third season as head coach of the Blue Wave. “We could have won more games, but we had a couple of things, injury here, injury there, kids getting acclimated. The team that I had last year, none of those kids were starters on their team, wherever they arrived from, or even the ones that were here, they never started games, so that was basically a new team.”
Jackson said that this year will be similar.
The Blue Wave have a couple of guys that were on the team last year who didn’t have big roles. They’ll be stepping into major roles now.
For example, quarterback Anthony Powers left school due to personal reasons so that opened the door for rising sophomore Willie Spain (6’, 205).
Spain got his first start in the regular season finale against Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville).
“He was propelled into the starting lineup, and he fared okay,” Jackson said. “We were in the game, but there’s certain things he hadn’t seen, so right now we’re trying to get him prepared to be able to withstand the season and all the things, the pressures, that come with being the quarterback.”
Jackson said this year’s offense is “not a traditional style.”
“It’s a style that, I guess, I’m making it up as I go,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball effectively so that we don’t have to put as much on the quarterback. It’s tough when you do that, when you have a young line. We have one kid that started on the line that’s back, so we have an entirely new line again. So, there’ll be challenges, but I think we can get it done.”
Rising sophomore Grayson Strnad is the lone starter returning up front, while junior Hobby Hall (6’1, 270) is the team’s biggest lineman.
Senior J.J. Santiago (5’6, 180) moves over to the offense and will be the team’s starting running back.
“J.J., he’s a feisty little guy,” Jackson said. “He’s tough. He played cornerback for the most part last year. He didn’t even come on the offensive side of the ball last year. We’re expecting a lot out of J.J., being a senior…we have three seniors this year. We’re expecting a lot out of all of them.”
They also have experience at wide receiver with the return of junior Cameron Awuma and senior Porter Pedro, who will both play cornerback.
“Our wide receivers are good,” Spain said. “We have pretty decent wide receivers. Cam Awuma, he’s probably my main target right now. He’s good with the deep ball, he’s pretty quick and he’s very elusive.”
This past spring, P.K. Yonge only dressed 15 players and a third of those were middle schoolers, but when Jackson played for his alma mater in the late 80s, they only had 17 or 18 on a team.
“Traditionally, at P.K. Yonge, we’ve had guys that have gone both ways, like you’re in a lap of luxury if you have guys that you don’t have to play offense and defense, but that’s pretty much the way things were coming up,” he said. “Some of the better teams that we’ve had here, I mean, I never came out of the game when I was here. But it’s totally a different time with the heat and the heat index and the ‘feels like’ temperature. I mean, it changes the way you have to practice and how you prepare for a game.”
Spain said you do what you need to do to help the team.
“You just got to stay strong,” he said. “Know what you’re doing it for. I feel like it’s real important because you got to know that you’re still playing for your school, playing for yourself, playing for your family. So, staying strong was a big thing.”
P.K. Yonge will once again compete in the two-team Class 1A-District 4 with district champion Trinity Catholic (Ocala), which will host the Blue Wave on Oct. 24.
Whether or not the Blue Wave will have another shot at a postseason berth will come down to execution.
“I’m not at all concerned about a lot of it, because as a coach I pretty much can show them what we got, what we’re going to face, and how it’s going to be,” Jackson said. “It’s just a matter of if they can execute.”
They will also have to stay healthy.
“We don’t have a lot of numbers,” Jackson said. “But the guys, if they’re there, if they can play, then the core 11, they can get it done. We’ll be able to compete.”
P.K. Yonge Blue Wave
2024 record: 5-5
2024 playoffs: Lost via forfeit vs. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) in 1A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
Head coach: Willie Jackson
Years as head coach: 3rd year
District assignment: Class 1A-District 4
Players to watch:
Willie Spain (QB, So.)
Cameron Awuma (CB/WR, Jr.)
J.J. Santiago (CB/RB, Sr.)
Porter Pedro (CB/WR, Sr.)
Key games:
Sept. 5 vs. Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville)
Sept. 19 vs. First Baptist Academy (Naples)
Sept. 26 at Oak Hall
Oct. 3 vs. Hamilton County (Jasper)
Oct. 10 vs. Specially Fit Academy (Dover)