Can Kevin Claxton Infuse The Charlotte Tarpons?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is no doubting that we are definitely in different time when it comes to high school sports – especially football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just when you start to develop talent and get them ready for the future, athletes are often swayed to leave a program to another team with promises of championships and perhaps a ring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kevin Claxton</strong> is from an era where you achieve what you work for. Those are values that have almost disappeared.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A product of the highly successful Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson High School in Broward County, which had long relied on the community to feed the student/athletes to the school each year, he found that when he returned to his alma mater, things had changed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the values he had put together as a high school athlete, collegiately at the University of Wisconsin and as a coach at both levels were still in place, things had changed around him – and it only took two seasons for him to find that out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As he makes the move to Florida's west coast, Claxton realizes that while he may be up against some of those negative values that he left behind, he is taking over a Punta Gorda Charlotte team that is looking to get over the hump, and with his experience and work ethic, this just may be the perfect landing spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What the administration and students will find out is they are getting a coach who is 100 percent in this to develop, teach, get his players to the next level and infuse winning into the equation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He takes over a program that was 19-23 the past four seasons, had some talent, but fell short to become the program they had been for nearly two decades under <strong>Binky Waldrop</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a 6-5 record that included a state playoff appearance, this is a program that will look to the rising senior (2027) class that has some talent to work with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into spring, here is a look at some of those prospects:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brody Brantley, LS, 5'10, 172 – 4.5 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19955704/Brody-Brantley">https://www.hudl.com/profile/19955704/Brody-Brantley</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kamran “Kam” Curliss, WR, 6'3, 185 – 3.7 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/20356775/Kamran-Curliss">https://www.hudl.com/profile/20356775/Kamran-Curliss</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Hay, WR, 5'10, 150 – 3.7 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/22338787/Jackson-Hay">https://www.hudl.com/profile/22338787/Jackson-Hay</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Martae Taylor, RB, 5'9, 170 – 3.8 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/20371696/Martae-Taylor">https://www.hudl.com/profile/20371696/Martae-Taylor</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AWAITING SPRING VIDEO</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Je'Vanti Senat, DT, 5'11, 265 – 2.8 GPA. 2 Sport Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><br>IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this ever-changing world of high school athletics, you never know what the future will hold. But for the Tarpons, what happens this coming season could tell a lot about the immediate future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some younger players to keep an eye on:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS OF 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>John McCullough, Athlete, 5'9, 155 – 3.7 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/22828694/John-McCullough">https://www.hudl.com/profile/22828694/John-McCullough</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dylan Szych, QB, 6'1, 190 – 3.0 GPA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/26299206/Dylan-Szych">https://www.hudl.com/profile/26299206/Dylan-Szych</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Leighton White, DE, 6'3, 200 – 3.8 GPA.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAPE: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/23604532/Leighton-White">https://www.hudl.com/profile/23604532/Leighton-White</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AWAITING SPRING VIDEO</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Obi Edeoga, DE/TE, 6'6, 250 – 4.42 GPA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Javian Godwin, DT, 6'3, 290 – 2.5 GPA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RaKhai Longmire, DB/WR, 6'0, 150 – 3.0 GPA. 2 Sport Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS OF 2029</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AWAITING SPRING VIDEO</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaheim Jones, Athlete, 6'4, 190 – 2.7 GPA. 2 Sport Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 Punta Gorda Charlotte Tarpons</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Naples Gulf Coast, L 26-16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Port, W 48-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Miami Beach, L 24-20 (OT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Myers, W 13-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cape Coral, L 19-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cape Coral Island Coast, W 45-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cape Coral Mariner, W 20-15</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Port Charlotte, L 35-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Wales McLaughlin, W 75-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Fort Myers, W 37-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bradenton Manatee, L 28-21</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Statewide Coverage Daily. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/florida/">https://prepredzone.com/florida/</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COACHES, PLAYERS: Do You Have A Subscription? Contact us for a savings code so you can see what everyone has been talking about! Floridakids1@aol.com.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->