When you talk with Cypress Bay head coach Bret Hood about the 2023 season, he would much rather talk about the 7-1 start than the way the year ended.
While those seven wins set the tone and pushed the Lightning into the state playoffs, losing to rival Davie Western twice within three weeks was what many will remember about the year.
While several holes need to be replaced this coming season, this spring and into the summer will tell how far this program can go in 2024.
This team will rely on a rising senior (2025) class that has several prospects coming back. That group will need to use experience and talent along with leadership.
Here are some of those 2025 prospects to keep an eye on:
CLASS OF 2025
Rafael Baccala, DE, 5-11, 195 – 3.8 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624972/rafael-baccala
Eli Collin, TE, 5-11, 205 – 4.3 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624976/Eli-Collin
Eain Hersh, QB, 5-10, 190 – 3.3 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624962/Eain-Hersh
Zac Hersh, WR, 5-9, 175 – 3.5 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/19668449/Zachary-Hersh
Zach Halum, DL, 5-10, 200 – 3.2 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17625000/Zacharia-Halum
Jacob Lopez, CB, 5-10, 185 – 4.2 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624942/Jacob-Lopez
Milton Milledge, CB, 6-0, 190 – 3.0 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/16946045/Milton-Milledge
Alexander Palmer, LB, 5-11, 215 – 4.4 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624940/Alexander-Palmer
Manuel Pardo, OG, 6-0, 225 – 3.5 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/18336008/manuel-pardo
Santi Paz, WR/DB/WR, 5-9, 165 – 3.9 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/17624988/Santi-Paz
AWAITING SPRING VIDEO
William Cusson, DL, 6-2, 225 – 3.4 GPA
Andrew Guillen, OC, 5-10, 200 – 4.0 GPA
Brian Guzman, DL, 6-0, 215 – 3.4 GPA
Jason Jordan, S, 5-10, 185 – 3.8 GPA
Rood Olson-Benel, Athlete, 6-0, 185
LIGHTINING WILL LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE
While the rising senior class will be leading the way, keep an eye on the underclassmen where there are some quality football players to watch. Here are a few who figure to give this program a major boost:
CLASS OF 2026
Lorenzo Lopez, TE, 6-1, 195 – 4.5 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/18613107/lorenzo-lopez
Sushanth Mortala, OL, 6-4, 260 – 2.7 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/19381374/Sushanth-Mortala
Ronald Thomas, WR, 6-3, 185 – 3.0 GPA.
TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/profile/19227296/Ronald-Thomas
AWAITING SPRING VIDEO
Harwens Garnier, DB, 5-10, 180 – 2.8 GPA
Grayson Jones, WR, 5-10, 165 – 3.4 GPA
Zachary Lemasters, LB, 5-10, 210
Mateus Lucena, PK, 5-11, 190 – 3.5 GPA
Micah Nicholls, S, 6-1, 185 – 3.4 GPA
Sean Pineda, DL, 6-1, 220 – 2.9 GPA
Jaylen Reid, RB, 5-7, 180 – 3.8 GPA
Demo Thiakos, OT, 6-1, 220 – 3.6 GPA
Kaan Yapar, DL, 6-1, 230 – 3.1 GPA
CLASS OF 2027
AWAITING SPRING VIDEO
Hunter Cullen, TE, 5-11, 190
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