Vote Now: Who is the Top Returning Player in the Citrus County, Florida for the 2023 season?

We have 11 players for your consideration out of the 352

Let’s take a closer look at some of the best-returning players in high school football for the 2023 season out of Citrus County (Florida).

Our list includes some of the best in the region and players who proved to be invaluable to their teams last season in making key passes, catches, runs, tackles and sacks at the end of the game, being clutch on offense or helping lead the defense as the top player in the county. 

Plenty of worthy names are on this list, so be sure to vote in our poll for who you think will be the top returning player for the upcoming season. Voting will close on August 31st, just in time for the start of the regular season.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

JT Tipton, QB, Lecanto: As a freshman signal caller, Tipton impressed many and should be in store for a big sophomore season. Last season, Tipton threw for 624 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Caden Moore, RB, Lecanto: Moore played as the backup running back last season and will take on the primary role this season. In 2022, Moore rushed for just over 300 yards. 

Burke Malmberg, OL, Lecanto: The strength of this offense is the experience right up front at the line of scrimmage. Malmberg helped pave the way for nearly 3,000 yards of offense a year ago. 

Tez Joseph, WR, Lecanto: Joseph will see time on both sides of the ball for the Panthers as he played more sparingly in 2022. If the spring tells us anything, he will be seeing the field a lot more often. 

Tim Gray, LB, Crystal River: Gray was the leader of the Pirates’ defense last season. The linebacker racked up a total of 104 tackles for Cliff Lohery’s defensive unit. 

JoJo Velazquezj, RB, Crystal River: Whether Velazquezj had to play quarterback, running back or elsewhere, he stepped up last season. The athlete should see his role be primarily at running back after rushing for 525 yards a year ago. 

Landen Ragan, LB, Crystal River: The 5-foot-11, 176-pound linebacker returns alongside Gray to form a strong duo on defense. Ragan racked up just over 50 tackles in 2022. 

Timmy Cantrell, G/LB, Citrus: Cantrell saw time mainly at linebacker last season for the Hurricanes and returns as one of the county’s top players at the position. Last season, Cantrell totaled 81 tackles as a junior. 

Roberto Perez, OL/DL, Citrus: There’s not many defensive nose guards like Perez in Citrus County. The two-way lineman will be hard to block on defense for many after compiling 24 tackles in 2022. 

Camren Pagels, WR/LB, Citrus: New Citrus head coach Joshua Ross will need some playmakers on the outside to produce this fall and Pagels is a candidate to do so. The wide receiver had 84 yards receiving a year ago. 

Nathan Tidwell, QB, Seven Rivers Christian: Tidwell in 2022 saw time at running back and wide receiver. Now with Nehemiah Vann graduated, Tidwell becomes the next in line at quarterback after totaling nearly 500 yards of offense last season. 

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