“These guys know what the expectations are when they come in- we coach them hard and love them just as much…”
~Head Coach Mark Kantor, Wiregrass Ranch Bulls.
Wesley Chapel, February 19, 2019- Wiregrass has turned over a positive leaf under some new mentorship in the past few years and the progression has been on a constant climb ever since. Here’s a BCP insider on this program’s keys to triumph and a feature on a couple of E7TC camper attendees apart of the trusted process.
“It comes down to our great staff- those guys put forth effort day in and day out, both in games and film; we’ve benefited so much from coaches and special players that have come through our doors. We coach our guys very hard and Friday nights speak to that with the Monday-Thursday labor we induce on them. Preparation and timeless effort have been a big factor in the weight room- our success on the field is because of the dedication in the weight room, I sincerely believe that.”
“You HAVE to look at the dedication factor; a couple years ago I was at Hudson High (12’-14’ seasons) and revolutionized that program and back when I took the job here at Wiregrass, it reminded me of my time at Gaither High (04’-10’ seasons). A program that needed rebuilding in the same aspects, and the coaches I had at both places, as well as right now, did a tremendous job of assisting in that,” Head Coach Kantor explains indefinitely.
A year after coach Kantor assumed his head coach role in 2015, the team produced their first winning season since 2010, (6-5 overall that year) with a 7-3 record in the 2016 season. This most recent 2018 season, the maroon and white posted another optimistic season effort, finishing at 7-4 with a 4-2 district 8 record in their scrappy, top-tier 7A Class.
Coach Kantor proceeds, “Noah is a unique individual; he was an offensive lineman playing JV before he switched sides to defensive tackle on varsity for us. His relentless effort in the weight room and overall hustle is what I saw most- those traits you can’t develop on the field; you have to possess those inside you. He’ll help us out a lot defensively this year, after being injured in the back-half of this past season and I think our district is one of the toughest in the state. These seven playoff teams are challenging for sure, but he’s going to help us transform how we are seen within the district and compete hard. We expect him to be a leader on and off the field, you hope guys coming in will develop like him- his senior class will be our second set of freshmen starters, so all the guys that have come through before them and put in the blood, sweat, and tears have shown these guys what it takes to succeed.”
“I hope they’ll carry out that same tradition of hard work to the next group as well. His sheer effort and toughness are what I enjoyed witnessing- not a huge vocal guy, more so proves his leadership as a performance-based guy and he’s not the biggest guy, but his will to compete is what attracts me in games and practice. Be on time and don’t skip a beat and he does all those things; being held accountable has to be passed on to future senior classes and he leads by example in that sense.”
Noah Wiseman tacked on 4 total tackles and 1 TFL as a junior interior defensive lineman in 2 games listed according to MaxPreps. As coach said, he went down mid-way in this year’s 11-game stretch, but you better believe he’ll bounce back better than ever for his upcoming final season, as he passionately showed at this past Sunday’s E7TC event series. He showcased his drive and pure intensity among the local county big-man competition, certainly foreshadowing that he’ll be ready to suit up come Day 1 of the regular season.
Coach Kantor concludes, “When I watched Nick at the JV level this past year, he flies around the field; he’s not afraid to take you on and hit you. Here at Wiregrass, you have to knock people on the ground with force to compete and he does that. He’s pretty quiet too, but he definitely puts forth great effort in weight room and practice, while also having a keen sense for getting better by using his resources and looking up to the experienced guys.”
Nick Kazmorck displayed his brutish play-style this past Sunday without question and was indeed EVERYWHERE on gridiron as coach alluded to, eclipsing 21 total tackles, collecting 15 on his own with 3 TFLs, tallied 3 INTs which he brought back for a total of 49 interception yards, had 1 QB hurry, forced a fumble, rushed for 70 yards on 9 carries, averaging 7.8 YPC and brought back two punts for 18 yards as a first-year linebacker and fullback for the Ranch’s’ JV squad. The young Bulls closed out the season with a seamless 8-0 record and 7-0 in their league, I might add.
“Nick’s one of those guys that enjoy the extra work to grow and develop. His aggression is what strikes me most- a lot of times we see kids that aren’t hard-nosed enough; they just don’t have a mean bone in their body but this kid loves contact. We love that in our defense here at the ranch and he showed us signs of that consistently this past season. These guys know what the expectations are when they come in- we coach them hard and love them just as much.”
Vaughan Sixbury, BCP Contributor