EAST LAKE EAGLES
2016: 9-2, Class 7A District 10 Champion (4-0), Regional Finalist
Last Playoff Appearance: 2016
Head Coach: Bob Hudson- 15th year at East Lake (106-55)
Key Returners: CB/WR Joshua Bowers (DNP last year- ACL), LB Jake Castle (63 tackles, 3 sacks, interception), S Joshua Green (46 tackles, interception), RB Breon Hillmon (315 rush yards, 3 TD), LT John LaSpada, LB Karsen Lilley (62 tackles, 2 forced fumbles), QB Jackson Rowland (131 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions)
The Scoop: Last year, East Lake players declared they were on the “Revenge Tour” after missing out on a district title for the first time in five years. This year, it’s more of a “Keep it Going” tour, according to senior quarterback Jackson Rowland. The Eagles bounced back with an impressive 9-2 season that included a district championship and a spot in the regional final, and now they’re looking for more. Rowland, who played very well in a huge spot start win over St. Petersburg last season, is set to take control of the offense behind center for his final year at East Lake. Head coach Bob Hudson likes Rowland’s confidence and ability to lead and was impressed with his play in the USF Sling & Shoot 7-on-7 tournament over the summer. Hudson says talented sophomore Tucker Gleason will also see time at quarterback every game to give defenses a different look. Senior running back Breon Hillmon could be a breakout star, while junior Isaac Gibbs moves up from JV and will also likely play a key role out of the backfield. The defense will get a huge boost with the return of senior cornerback Joshua Bowers, who has his speed back after missing all of last year with an ACL injury. Bowers will also be used at receiver and in the return game, so much in fact that Hudson says “he better not make any plans on Saturday because he’s going to be tired after every Friday night”. Bowers will be joined in the secondary by a pair of returning starters at safety: senior Joshua Green and junior Jake Walsh. But the most experienced and skilled position group for the Eagles may be the linebackers, where seniors Jake Castle and Karsen Lilley return coming off outstanding junior seasons.
Quotable: “Winning attracts. And so what we do is we win and we bring people in: brothers, friends on the track track team. Winning’s a tradition. And that’s going to bring people in.”- senior CB/WR Joshua Bowers on seeing more than 140 East Lake players (varsity and JV) working out in the offseason together
2017 Schedule:
Game 1- 8/25- @Palm Harbor University
Game 2- 9/1- Largo
Game 3- 9/8- Tarpon Springs
Game 4- 9/15- Pinellas Park*
Game 5- 9/22- @Lakeland
Game 6- 9/29- @Countryside*
Game 7- 10/6- @ Ware County (GA)
Game 8- 10/20- St. Petersburg*
Game 9- 10/27- @Seminole*
Game 10- 11/3- Clearwater
*Denotes District Game
Story: Most football teams start their preparation right at the beginning of the offseason.
At East Lake High School, that prep basically begins at birth.
“I’ve been coming up through East Lake since I was a little kid,” East Lake senior quarterback Jackson Rowland said. “And from watching them when I was in second grade to now playing for them, it’s a crazy experience. But I met some of my best friends in my entire life here, and it’s just been a great brotherhood.”
The word “brotherhood” can be taken literally this season.
By his count, head coach Bob Hudson has 15 players on his roster who are brothers of players he previously coached at East Lake.
But there’s a number even more impressive.
East Lake had more than 140 players enter camp when you count both JV and varsity- more than anyone else in the area.
“I came in, and I was one of those 140,” East Lake senior linebacker Jake Castle said. “And the coaching job did an amazing job of bringing us up and being able to help us grow as football players and young men.”
“We’re really personal with each other,” East Lake senior cornerback Joshua Bowers said. “We share each other’s secrets. We talk to each other. We always have something we can do together.”
The Eagles are tight and incredibly strong on defense, with seven starters back from a unit that recorded three shutouts and allowed just 91 passing yards per game last year.
“There may be times early where we’re leaning on them,” Hudson said. “But then at the same time, the offense is saying, ‘oh, Coach, we’re going to score’. So it’s good. It’s friendly competition. But at the end of the day, we’re really trying to gel that offense/defense/special teams. Someone’s got to make the plays. We’ve got to put the points on the board.”
East Lake expects to do that, with new starting quarterback Jackson Rowland and running back Breon Hillman providing some punch on offense.
The Eagles are planning for a 9th straight trip to the playoffs, so keeping fresh will be important.
“You get in the mindset where you want that grind,” Hudson said. “It’s like, we don’t want to be done in 11 weeks. We want to keep going. So that’s our focus to try to get there, because that’s when it gets really exciting. And I tell them, by then the weather cools off, so it’s not as hard.”
With all those years of preparation in the bag, a little work after Thanksgiving isn’t going to hurt anyone.