Leaders emerge at Legacy spring football camp

OCOEE — Every program, every year, graduates seniors.

In that regard, the Legacy Eagles football team is not unique.

However, for a small varsity program like the one the charter school fields to compete in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference, the loss of six seniors — including the program’s standout quarterback and best player, Colton Liddell — is one that will be felt more profoundly than, say, at an 8A program.

Replacing that senior class and getting new faces up to par has been the focus for head coach Jarrett Wiggers and his staff so far this spring.

“It’s definitely been difficult,” Wiggers said. “We’ve restructured our practices this spring based on the fact that we have a lot of newness. … We’ve just sort of tried to roll with it this year.”

Beyond traditional sessions out on the practice field, Wiggers said his team has been busy working on speed, strength, conditioning and “chalk talk.” 

With so many new players, installation of offensive and defensive sets has been tedious for the Eagles. Still, what has been encouraging is that, with the departure of leaders who doubled as player-coaches on the field in 2014 — outgoing seniors such as Liddell and Dillan Hudson — new players have decided to step up for Legacy.

“Our underclassmen have been really excited about being challenged with leadership opportunities,” Wiggers said, referencing rising junior quarterback Hilton Lamprecht and rising junior wide receiver/defensive lineman Walker Phillips specifically. “They have been with us since the very beginning, and they’ve really got a good sense of school pride.”

Although the task can be daunting — Legacy went 5-5 a season ago with its senior class — Lamprecht exuded confidence about the ability of his teammates to rise to the occasion.

“We definitely miss (the seniors), but we are looking really good,” Lamprecht said. “They were a big part of our team, but we’ve got the shoes to fill them.”

Phillips, in particular, has embraced his new role with the team even as he recovers from a knee injury and is limited in contact at practice.

“Coach Wiggers has told me that — that I need to step up and lead the younger guys and even the older guys, too,” Phillips said. “We don’t have as many guys, but we’re doing (well) with the guys we do have.”

Roster depth has indeed been a problem this spring.

“It’s a huge issue right now, because we still have some guys who got injured in the fall (who) haven’t fully recovered yet,” Wiggers said. “I see it getting better in the fall. You just get generally more commitment in the fall because it’s kind of the real deal. … (The spring is) a lot of grind for just one game.”

Although this spring may be a bit trying for the Eagles, Wiggers is excited about the direction of his program. Legacy’s middle-school program has a whopping 10 eighth-graders, meaning his program should be in a good shape for the next few years.

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IF YOU GO

Spring Football Jamboree

Legacy Charter, Bayshore (Tampa), International Community School (Winter Park), Bishop McLaughlin

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 22

WHERE: Hungerford Field, 100 E. Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville

EXTRA POINT: After graduating a large senior class, Legacy takes the field at 6:30 p.m. (vs. Bishop McLaughlin) and 7:30 p.m. (vs. Bayshore) against some Sunshine State Athletic Conference foes.

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Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].