High School Football Preview: Lakeland High School
As we move closer to football season, Inside The Knights will preview several top Florida high school football programs that UCF Football will certainly recruit, and provide a clear overview of that program’s roster for the 2021 season. Today, it’s the Lakeland Dreadnaughts.
Lakeland is not your typical high school program. The Dreadnaughts have been nationally ranked several times and have won Florida state titles in 1986, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2018. Led by one of the greatest Florida high school head coaches, Bill Castle, his list of honors is so long here is a link to see them all.
Coach Castle will lead this team once again, and Lakeland’s prognosis will be very high once again. It’s because the Dreadnaughts have players on both sides of the football that can make plays. Further, the Lakeland team wins with skill position talent, like many Florida high school football programs, but the Dreadnaughts also possess two of the state of Florida’s best defensive linemen.
Top Defensive Players
Any discussion regarding Lakeland’s chances to win state title No. 8 begin with Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Keahnist Thompson, both defensive ends that wreak havoc on opposing offensive fronts. Each player possesses unique attributes.
Beginning with Brownlow-Dindy, he’s as good a strong side defensive end as one will find in the country. His powerful hands strike offensive tackles and tight ends and he will move a player back with his hand quickly shooting to the offensive player’s chest.
Make no mistake, Brownlow-Dindy is one of the nation’s most powerful young defensive lineman. More importantly, Brownlow-Dindy not only shocks his opponents with those heavy hands, he utilizes quickness that’s rare for a defensive end weighing about 275-pounds. Standing close to 6’4”, with a long wingspan, Brownlow-Dindy does not just rely on natural talent either.
He’s good at staying low, shooting gaps, and using pass rushing moves like dip and rip, stab, and grab and pull to defeat blocks. For a comparison, Brownlow-Dindy is a slightly taller version of former NFL star and Hall of Fame inductee John Randle. The former Minnesota Viking had a similar build, and played much the same way Brownlow-Dindy does now.
While Brownlow-Dindy is certainly no place near ready for professional football, he might be Florida’s best senior high school player. Lining up on the same defensive line would be Thompson. His game is styled differently, but with the same physical presence and attitude one expects from a top defensive end.
Thompson relies upon quickness to move inside or outside a blocker, and he has excellent hands to thwart an offensive tackle’s hands from staying on his body. He’s been coached well when it comes to body lean and getting off the snap of the football quickly, and his penchant for splitting offensive linemen to reach the offensive backfield is excellent.
A 6’4”, 240 pounds, Thompson, like Brownlow-Dindy, could play strong side end in college, and he could move inside and play three technique during passing downs. Thompson will officially visit UCF this next weekend.
It’s incredibly rare to have an elite defensive end, and Lakeland has two. Both players are being recruited nationally, and deserve the attention they are receiving.
During their time playing against Venice High School, another state of Florida power, Lakeland showed they have a talented defensive front, and they are an aggressive defensive team overall. That’s where the secondary comes into play.
Nasir Bowers is not the tallest player at 5’8”, but his powerfully built frame is muscle, packing on 170 pounds. Most importantly, he’s a twitchy cornerback. Any throw that’s off the mark could go the other way. He changes direction and breaks on the football as well as almost any defensive back in the state of Florida. Bowers is committed to Toledo, but will still probably take official visits. Lakeland’s secondary is loaded overall, and any one of the defensive backs can make plays.
Emari Carter is a long athlete to watch, and he has offers as well. There are at least four more underclassmen defensive backs to watch that will be juniors, and all of them have college potential. Robert Riley, Dontay Joyner, Twan Wilson, and Kmaurry McKinley help to round out one of the most talented secondaries in Florida.
In the middle of the defense, Larry Jones is a downhill linebacker that can also reach the perimeter and make a tackle during a jet sweep or screen. He's already filling out his frame at 6'2" and 220 pounds. Combining the skill talent of the entire defense with Brownlow-Dindy and Thompson and it’s easy to understand why Lakeland will be a force once again. Moving to offense, Lakeland is massive up front.
Top Offensive Players
The majority of Lakeland’s front line will weigh in excess of 300 pounds. The headliner is UCF commitment Miguel Maldonado. He’s a powerfully built player that fits the mold of a mauler at the college level. He helps pave the way, along with his brethren along the offensive line, for a power run game that incorporates quarterback runs and a short passing game. Maldonado plays offensive tackle for Lakeland, and he’s already college size at 6’6”, 325 pounds.
The quarterback most likely to start would be Mason Martin, and he can run the football as well as passing it. The passing game will rely heavily on junior wide receiver Daidren Zipperer, yet another long and lean athlete that can really run. He was the definitive focal point when Lakeland played in the Venice jamboree. Zipperer’s older brother, Keon Zipperer, plays tight end for the Florida Gators.
If Lakeland wants to make another state title run, the offense will need to further develop the passing game beyond Zipperer, not only to keep defenses from keying on him, but to also open up the rushing attack.
The running game sees a lot of aggressive defensive fronts because defenses know the Dreadnaughts will want to play power football. Junior running back Don’Ares Johnson is coming off a sophomore season in which he rushed for 340 yards, but now he will see more carries and more opportunities to make big plays. Built much like Bowers at 5’10 and 170 pounds, Johnson is really quick and not afraid to run between the tackles.
Assuming Lakeland’s passing game can keep defenses honest, Johnson will probably have a chance at surpassing 1,000 rushing yards this fall. He’s really good at avoiding the first tackler, and finishes runs with physicality.
Overall, there’s no question that Lakeland will once again be one of the 7A powers in Florida. The prediction for the Dreadnaughts will be to see them continue to churn out top players and pile on the wins for Coach Castle.
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