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UHS Preseason Footbal Guide: Bulldogs Looking For Big Season

    The Umatilla High School varsity football season will kick off this Friday night, when the Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville to face Stanton High. Coming off a playoff season in the Sunshine State Athletic Association, Umatilla is looking for another successful campaign.
   "We are now on the north side of the division," Umatilla head coach said of the school's entry into the association that provides smaller schools a chance to compete outside of the larger Florida High School Athletic Association. This will be Umatilla's second year with the SSAA, and Samuels has high hopes for this year's squad.
   “My expectations for this season is that we come out and we dominate and compete every time we are on the field. We have eight returning starters on offense and defense. I’m very excited for this season.
   Umatilla will field one of its more athletic teams in recent years, headlined by senior starting quarterback Ray Jenkins, a convert from wide receiver, and Kellen Hatcher.
   “Kellen Hatcher is the best defensive lineman in Lake/Sumter County,” Samuels said. Hatcher, a senior, led the SSAA Atlantic Division a season ago in tackles for loss and sacks, while posting 85 tackles, a number Samuels calls ‘insane’.
   Samuels said other Bulldogs, including Nate Coldiron, Kayden Lee, Justin Street, Layton Vanzant, and Asthon Crawford are all expected to play important roles for the team this year.
   “These guys are all veteran players and are ready to have great seasons.”
   Samuels is pleased that the program boasts 53 players this season, a strong number for a school of Umatilla’s size.
   "We have some young guys who I think can benefit from playing on Thursday nights as well as Friday nights. We call those guys 'six-quarter guys', where they can get a full game in on Thursday, getting reps and then are able to play two quarters on a Friday night, watching and learning mostly from the upper-classmen."
   A highlight this year is the return of longtime rival Eustis to the schedule. While Umatilla made sure to schedule some SSAA teams, Samuels said he is glad the Panthers have returned to the schedule this year.
   “Eustis is a rivalry that I feel should be played every season. I’m just glad we were able to get them back on the schedule.”
   The Panthers will visit Umatilla on September 5, a game that will serve as Umatilla’s home opener. Additionally, Umatilla will host Discovery on October 10 for Homecoming.

Football team, cheerleader, and band photos can be found inside this week's print edition.