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Drew Weatherford has passed for more than 5,000 career yards. He threw for a state-leading 39 touchdowns last season while leading Land O'Lakes to the region finals.
Weatherford verbally committed to Florida State. But he won't be the focus of Hernando coach Bill Browning's gaze when the Leopards play host to the Gators in a preseason jamboree at 7 tonight at Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium.
Browning will be busy evaluating his own players as Hernando, a playoff qualifier three of the past four years, prepares for its regular-season opener Sept. 5 against Springstead.
"You name it, we've got it," Browning said. "There's a lot of spots there are battles for right now, a lot of positions very unsettled."
Some of the more interesting position battles involve seniors Andres Lawson, Jack Duvall and Jarvis Baylor and sophomore Fabian Jackson at inside linebacker; junior Chad Sanders, senior Nate Howell and sophomore James Thomas at safety; and junior Antonio Brown and senior Heath Hensley at quarterback.
Hernando had a good preseason that emphasized teaching, Browning said. Tonight, the veteran county coach wants to see how well his players apply the information they learned to game situations.
Browning plans to use all of his players. The starters will stay in through the first series of the third quarter.
"Basically, we're looking for some gamers to carry out our mental assignments, and we're looking for some depth," Browning said.
He said he scheduled Land O'Lakes because he wanted to see how his team fared against a playoff squad with a lot of returning players, including Weatherford.
"He's just one guy out there," Browning said. "He's definitely one of the better quarterbacks you're going to see, obviously, and they are a much larger school than us, so they'll have good team speed, they'll all be decent size and they're always going to give you a test. They have a good football tradition there."
CENTRAL: If not for injuries, the Bears' starting lineup might be pretty well set. Instead, players who were contending for backup roles in at least two positions find themselves battling for starting spots.
Wide receiver Dustin Kupcik dislocated an elbow the first week of practice and is expected to be out until the third week of the season.
Until he returns, junior Daniel Harris and sophomore Bryan Nutter will battle at Kupcik's spot.
A broken fibula will sideline defensive end Anthony Wright 4-6 weeks. One of two seniors, Mike Noyes or Brian Giddens, will start in his place.
Most of the offensive line is intact, with the exception of center, where senior Jason Santiago and sophomore Andy Leavine are competing.
"That's about it for battles," coach John Wilkinson said. "The injuries led to two of them."
Thunderstorms have kept Central on the run throughout the preseason, but a veteran presence on the offensive line and defensive front seven has prevented the Bears from falling far behind.
"So far, I think camp's going pretty well, considering," Wilkinson said. "Luckily, we had some veterans who know our system."
Wilkinson hopes those veterans lead the way Friday, when Central entertains 2002 Class 2A playoff qualifier St. Petersburg Catholic.
Wilkinson wants to see the Bears move the ball and avoid turnovers on offense and flow 11 players to the ballcarrier on defense.
"We want to stay healthy and get some positives out of it," he said.
SPRINGSTEAD: Coaches often talk about how difficult it is to simulate an opponent's speed in practice with their scout team.
It's no easier to approximate another squad's discipline, accuracy or knowledge of its system, Springstead coach Bill Vonada said.
Which is why he's anxious to see his team on the field Friday at Mitchell, a Class 4A playoff squad last season.
"We've got to get an opportunity to go against somebody else, go live against somebody else and get some timing down offensively," Vonada said.
"Defensively, we've got to get used to working against another team's speed."
Springstead had what Vonada called a "pretty good" fall camp but was hindered by thunderstorms that often forced the squad indoors.
"You can get stuff done, but it's not like being on the field," Vonada said.
"You don't play the game indoors. You don't play the game on the chalkboard."
Though many of the starting positions are set, there are some competitive battles at running back and receiver.
Seniors Derrick McMurray, Tyler Harman and Nate Jenkins; junior John Hardy and sophomore Andrew Ortiz have played well at receiver.
Senior Kurt Carriveau returns at tight end, but sophomore Chris Ferguson and senior Rob Lopez also are competing for playing time. Senior Jose Yearwood and sophomores Quinden Floyd and Ken Beeker are making cases for themselves at running back.
In addition, Vonada is keeping an eye out for players who might have been overlooked in practice but pick up their performances come game time.
"We feel real good about a lot of the guys we have right now," Vonada said. "It's just a matter of having guys justifying why they deserve to be on the field a little bit more."