It might not feel like football weather, but when your school is located on the Panhandle of Florida, 85- to 95-degree temperatures are what you get this time of year.
And the Destin High Sharks, like other football teams in Okaloosa County, are doing a lot of sweating, conditioning, drills and practicing in preparation for playing under those Friday night lights.
The Sharks open up their fourth season at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at home against the Northveiw Chiefs. The game will be played at Marlin Field at Destin Middle School.
Destin has about 65 players on the team, compared with the 55 last year.
“They’re good kids,” Destin Head Coach E.G. Green said as he walked around the practice field Aug. 12.
Out of the 60-plus players, Green said 70% of the kids “have been here and been through the process.”
The other 30% have come from various places, some from other schools in the county, and some from out of state.
But the Sharks are coming together nicely.
The O-Line
“We’re looking good up front, we’re big up front,” Green said.
The average size of the front line is about 6-foot-3, 270 pounds.
Green said this is a good size for their level of ball.
“And they can move,” he said.
The offense
Playing behind the O-Line is senior running back Junior Harris.
“He’s going to be one of the best players … he’s got it, and he’s worked hard all summer,” Green said.
“He’ll be toting that tater for a long time,” Green said.
The Sharks will work with two quarterbacks this year, senior Hampton Woodham and junior Kellen Ramsey.
Among the receivers, juniors Chase Wandrick and Cameron Kerns are back.
“Kerns is 6-foot-2. He’s a deep-ball threat. And Chase is good inside,” Green said.
The big surprise this year is “Big Joe … Joe Orsua is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end. He can do everything. I think he’s going to be a factor,” Green said.
Another standout on offense will be senior Charlie Frankfurt.
“He looks really good. He’s a really good athlete, one of the top tennis players. He’s our leader,” Green said, noting Frankfurt will definitely be one of the team captains this season for the Sharks.
The defense
“We have a great defense,” Green said.
Coming back is senior Julian Fairrow. “He’s dominant,” Green said.
He also said they have a few newcomers like Bobby Bond from Jacksonville.
“He’s a bull, a wreck,” Green said of Bond at defensive tackle.
“We’re good at the linebacker position as well,” he said, noting players like Gabe Escalera and Elijah Ordis.
“We’ve been fortunate to have some guys here and then some kids decide to join the program. They are going to be a huge factor,” Green said.
Green described Jayden Phillips, who came over from Choctaw, as “one of the fastest kids in the area.”
The Sharks have had other players come over from Fort Walton Beach and Crestview as well as South Walton.
Strength of the Sharks
“Junior (Harris) running the ball behind the offensive line” will be the strength of the Sharks, Green said. “We are going to be a down-hill team. We plan on giving him a bunch of carries. We’re going to ride him for as long as we can.”
“We are going to be run-centric,” he said.
Green said that in years past, the Sharks haven’t really had a dominant running game.
“This year I want to be able to run the ball,” he said.
“Hopefully and prayerfully we will be able to lean on some guys and get Junior the ball,” Green said.
Although he’s leaning heavy on the running game, Green, like most coaches, says defense is where games are won.
“Defense is what we live by … we’re always going to be good on defense,” he said.
District competition
After being accepted as a full member into the FHSAA just a few months ago, Destin will compete in Class 1A, District 1 with Maclay, North Florida Christian and FAMU.
Because the Sharks got in late, the schedules were already drawn up, and alll the teams in their district had full schedules.
Green said the Sharks have two options, they can appeal or get an at-large bid to be in the state playoffs.
To get an at-large bid, the Sharks would have to finish almost undefeated or be one of the top 10 teams in the state.
“That’s the goal. We’ve got a chance,” he said.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: With size and speed, Destin High Sharks hope to run their way into the FHSAA playoffs
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
