A senior-laiden offense has Lakewood Ranch optimistic for 2022 football season

Running back Kevin Everhart, who rushed for just under 100 yards, will be a key weapon for the Mustangs this season

BRADENTON, FLORIDA – The 2021 season wasn’t quite what Lakewood Ranch head coach Rashad West envisioned when the Mustangs’ campaign ended with a 30-25 win over St. Petersburg Catholic.

Now the Mustangs are coming off a spring in which they performed well in moments, but now Lakewood Ranch looks to bounce back behind a winnable 2022 regular season slate. The Mustangs will start off the preseason against Dunedin before kicking off meaningful games versus Lemon Bay on the road on August 26th.

“It was good for us to play well in spots this spring,” West said. “We had a lot of kids playing their first varsity game so having some success was huge. I think there was an initial boost coming out of spring, but our guys understand we need a great summer to do some of the things we hope to do this fall.”

Don’t look at Lakewood Ranch, one of the fastest growing areas in Manatee County, as a school struggling with the transfer bug that has seemingly gone around the entire state of Florida. According to West, transfers incoming or outgoing have been a non-factor due to the school being now over capacity. With so many students already at the school, it leaves little room to add to an already crowded Lakewood Ranch.

“No, it really hasn't affected us too much over here,” West said. “Yes, I see all of the movement on social media and it is what it is at this point. We are in a unique situation with our school being over capacity, therefore, it makes this place a very difficult place to get into.”

Figuring out who the key play-makers will be for Lakewood Ranch is a bit tougher for West and his staff, as they have to replace outgoing quarterback Cameron Madison (1,682 yards in 2021). Returning on offense, though, is running back Kevin Everhart, who rushed for a team-high 931 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Wide receiver Isaac Ashley is the top returner to the receiving corps, as he had 38 catches for 567 yards and four scores. The Mustangs also return three seniors to the offense line, which gives the team plenty of experience up front.

“Both our running back Kevin Everhart and one of our wide receivers, Isaac Ashley, are certainly looking to improve on their productive junior seasons,” West said. “On the offensive line, I look for big years from seniors Brian Areco, Chad Anderson, and Seth Shamrock. I think rising juniors Jayden Munoz and Nate Smith are two kids that we are expecting big years from as well.”

“Get better each day, each week. Work to be the best version of ourselves and everything will work itself out.”

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.