Winter Springs High School Football: 60 Players Join Spring Drills, Face East River on May 21

Bears clawing back to success after 5-4 record in 2024

Winter Springs rising senior cornerback/wide receiver Tyson Summers (3) is one of the team leaders as the Bears head into the final week of spring drills. Winter Springs hosts East River on May 21 at 6:30 p.m. for a spring game, / Acovan Schild

The Winter Springs Bears know all about adversity, as well as how to battle back.

The Seminole County high school football program went winless in 2022 and 2023, stumbling to a 24-game losing streak dating to the 2021 season. But, slowly but surely, the Bears fought back.

Winter Springs won its 2024 season opener en route to a 5-1 start. The Bears finished with a 5-4 record – their first winning record since 2019.

Now, as spring drills come to a close with a game against East River on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Winter Springs is ready to take another step forward as 60 players have turned out for practices.

Winter Springs coach Tim Dycus, who is entering his fourth season at the helm, said 40 varsity players and 20 JV players turned out for drills, but they all practice together.

“We have had our best spring since I have been here,” Dycus said. “We have a lot of competitions going on in many spots and our offensive line will be one of our biggest and best since I have been here.

“This will be the most athletic team I have had as well with a lot of very good young talent,” Dycus said. “We have had a good spring and we will build on that this for summer. We will be in great shape (in the) fall.”

Dycus is counting on rising senior cornerback/wide receiver Tyson Summers; rising senior outside linebacker/long snapper JP Sims; rising senior center Daniel Morris; and rising junior wide receiver/running back Tristen Raines, who had 520 receiving yards and for TDs, and 104 rushing yards last year to lead the team.

Sims is a multi-sport athlete who won the Seminole Athletic Conference (SAC) title in the javelin. “He’s a program kid who loves Winter Springs High School,” Dycus said.

Dycus said Morris waited three years to start at center and did not want to leave. Summers is a fourth-year varsity starter.

“Raines is one of the most electrifying players in the SAC,” Dycus said. “He is lightning in a bottle.”

Aside from the increase in talent at Winter Springs, Dycus attributed the team’s turnaround to the coaching staff. “I feel the turnaround is because as a staff we never deviated from what we believe in for our program and the kids know that," he said. "Our kids, for the most part, don't have a lot of football experience, but that has changed this past year.

“The next few years will be our most athletic and experienced football knowledge team I have been around here at Winter Springs High School," Dycus said.

Dycus praised assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Isaiah Rouse and Chance Herbert for keeping things moving along.

“Coach Rouse has been a rock for me and the program, I owe him so much,” Dycus said. “Our weight room procedures have really turned around this year with the addition of coach Herbert and the program he has applied to the kids has produced huge gains.”

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