Lakeland Kathleen Looks To Rebound

Nobody needs to remind Lakeland Kathleen head football coach <strong>Kenneth Strong </strong>about 2020. With Covid, the pandemic and the many precautions that needed to be addressed, the Red Devils never got into the flow of the season. While the program didn’t ignore the big wins over Ridge Community (42-40), Strawberry Crest (41-13) and a playoff win against Tarpon Springs East Lake (27-10), it was the losses that truly took a toll. Losing to rival Lakeland twice in three weeks and dropping games to local programs Lake Gibson and Bartow did not sit well with coaches, players and fans. Rich in tradition over the years, Kathleen has quite a group coming back for the 2021 season – as they are finding out this spring. If the talented rising senior class (2022) can come together, things could be interesting, especially because there are some solid underclassmen ready to make a major contribution. As this Class of 2022 has some impressive talent, look for <strong>Jordan Gant</strong> (RB, 5-10, 200 – 3.48 GPA), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50034" first="Jeremiah" last="Jackson"]</strong> (OL/DL, 6-4, 285 – 4.2 GPA) and offensive lineman <strong>Nyjah Wooden</strong> (6-4, 285 – 3.48 GPA) to take the lead. Gant is truly a back that can carry the Red Devils. He is big, strong, fast and very athletic. Jackson is the blueprint for building the ideal student/athlete. His grades are amazing – and watch him perform and this future engineer will blow you away. Wooden also has the size, talent and work ethic – in and out of the classroom – to give this program some leadership as well as talent. In addition, look for rising seniors <strong>Matthew Almanzar</strong> (OL, 315 – 3.14 GPA), <strong>Zane Bashlor</strong> (OL – 3.0 GPA), <strong>Isaiah Brown</strong> (DB – 5-11, 180 - 3.0 GPA), <strong>KyAndre Anderson-Cobbett</strong> (WR, 5-11, 190 – 3.28 GPA) and impressive receiver <strong>Michael Ellington</strong> (6-2, 188 – 2.5 GPA) to lead the way. Also, <strong>Cam Franklin </strong>(DL, 6-2, -2.78), <strong>Josh Lewis</strong> (WR, 5-9, 178 – 2.82 GPA), <strong>Anjuan Mitchell</strong> (DB, 5-9 150 – 2.9 GPA), <strong>Dashawn Ray</strong> (DB – 5-10, 165 - 3.2 GPA), <strong>Ja’Davion Stackhouse</strong> (RB, 5-9, 180), <strong>Rashon Veasy</strong> (DB – 2.68 GPA) and linebacker <strong>Omarion Woods</strong> (LB – 3.05 GPA) have looked solid as well. <strong>CLASS OF 2023 HAS SOME STANDOUTS</strong> The best thing about this spring – and into the summer is the program will have some younger prospects to make a solid impact. Prospects such as <strong>Jamal Cohen</strong> (DB, 6-1 – 3.34 GPA), <strong>Shadarian Harrison</strong> (Athlete, 6-1, 165 – 3.29 GPA), <strong>R.J. Kelly</strong> (LB, 6-1, 205 – 3.71 GPA), <strong>Idris King</strong> (WR/DE, 6-2, - 4.13 GPA), <strong>Harris Martin </strong>(DL, 6-0) and defensive back <strong>T.J. Turner</strong> (5-8, 160 - 2.52 GPA) will give Coach Strong and the Red Devils something extra this coming season. <strong>UNDER ARMOUR PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKELAND KATHLEEN FOOTBALL</strong> <strong>TRACKING FLORIDA: Teams Look At 2021 Season. </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/">https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/</a> <strong><em>You Can Contact [player_tooltip player_id="111610" first="Larry" last="Blustein"] with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com. We are also on Social Media on @PrepRedzonefl.</em></strong>