New coach, P.K. Yonge wants to put in the work

The P.K. Yonge football team parted ways with former coach Willie Jackson Jr. following last year’s 0-10 finish.

PKY alum Israel Wilcox accepted the new position and is excited about being on the sidelines this fall.

Wilcox has been focused on the framework of building a program, which includes but is not limited to getting the resources the program needs, sponsorship, and support.

“Of course we’re competitive, we want to win, and we want to have a great team,” said Wilcox, who graduated in 1993 and was a 2-time All-State selection and a defensive player of the year with the Blue Wave. “But to me, before all that, I had to build this program. I prayed over everything and got a vision of how to build this program, and everything else is just falling right in place.”

The 90s were considered the golden era of P.K. Yonge football with players like Chris Doering, Robert Baker, Terry Jackson and Travis McGriff donning the blue and white.

Wilcox wants to return the Blue Wave to the glory days.

“Being able to go back and build it back up, to get to that point is everything to me,” Wilcox said. “My coach, John Clifford, taught me a lot, and a good friend, Willie Jackson, taught me a lot, so I’m just happy to be able to go back to my school and build it back up the way I feel it should be.”

Despite a winless season in 2025, P.K. Yonge will enter 2026 with a clean slate.

“I’d say it’s a fresh start,” said senior wide receiver Cooper Schackow (5’9, 160). “We’ve been trying not to think about last year, but we’re putting in that work. We had a good spring. We had a good summer, so fresh start and try to be better.”

With six returning starters on both sides of the ball, Wilcox at least has something to work with.

“It’s great because those guys are all leaders, both sides of the ball,” he said. “The first thing us coaches and the staff put in was a family atmosphere. We did a lot of things off the field, a lot of bonding off the field. Those guys actually took a role in showing them how we do things and building our family atmosphere, so they’ve been true leaders out there.”

They’re young, but Wilcox is trying to build something, and sometimes that takes time.

“We had eighth graders on varsity last year, so we probably have one of the youngest teams in the area,” he said. “But those guys are filling some big shoes and really putting forth the effort to being true leaders.”

Wilcox said his team is a well-bonded fighting team.

“We’re gonna lose together, we’re gonna win together,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a team that’s building a lot of chemistry together and they’re hungry. They want their name out there and they feel like they have a lot to prove. This is going to be a fighting team this year.” 

Offensively, the Blue Wave struggled last year and averaged just 6.6 points per game. They should be able to score more this season, but it may take some time.

“We’re working with a bunch of new young guys, and younger guys, that’s trying to understand the offense and process it,” said offensive coordinator Shawn Dixon. “And also getting everybody on the same page, doing things a new way from what they used to do within the offense. It’s going to be a trying time at the beginning, but I think once everybody buys into it, I think we’ll have a pretty good opportunity to put some points on the board.”

The players certainly seem optimistic about the offense.

“I think it’s looking great,” said senior offensive lineman Lamar “Hobby” Hall (6-4, 271), who will also play on the defensive line. “I really like how Coach Shawn is doing it for us, and I really like that we’re having a promising offense…everything’s looking up for us.”

Hall has also been impressed with his new head coach.

“He’s a great person, a great coach, and he’s great with kids our age,” he said. “He’s a really good motivator. He’s also very disciplined, too. He helps us stay disciplined while also keeping us up.”

Senior Shawnlee Jean (6’1, 165), who will play wide receiver and defensive back, said Wilcox brings out the best in his players. 

“I enjoy being coached by him a lot,” Jean said. “I feel like he puts the pressure on you to really be better. It’s so much more motivation, and I just feel really comfortable being coached by him, and the pressure just to get better and be better, it goes over me and the rest of my teammates.”

Dixon said he is “more of a multiple offensive guy, so you’ll see a bunch of different formations, a bunch of different sets.”

“We don’t try to adapt to the defense; we want the defense to try to adapt to us,” said Dixon, who was previously the wide receivers coach at GHS. “If these guys can pick things up, I think they can shock some people around here.”

They do have some experience under center as Willie Spain returns at quarterback for his junior year.

“He’s learning and getting better each practice,” Dixon said. “We’re not just looking for the deep ball. We want to just get the ball up and down the field, simple and plain, and wear out the defense.”

Coach Wilcox’s son, freshman Imontae Wilcox (5’6, 185), will be in the backfield, and according to Dixon, they have a secret weapon at tight end with Grayson Strnad (6’, 200).

“Grayson, I think he’s going to be one of the best tight ends in the area,” Dixon said. “He reminds me of Nick O’Leary from Florida State.”

Strnad will also play running back and linebacker.

“We’re looking at this year as a comeback year, and we reached a whole new mindset, whole new team, whole new coaches, coaching staff, and we’re just ready to see what this year has for us,” Strnad said.

An improved offense would go a long way in helping a defense that gave up a whopping 46.1 points per game.

After competing in Class 1A-District 4 the last two years with Trinity Catholic (Ocala), P.K. Yonge will compete in the FHSAA’s new Independent League. 

They are one of 17 schools, along with Oak Hall School, in the North region competing in Pool B (schools with populations up to 899 students).