Bayshore hasn’t had a winning season since 2004. Here’s why Bruins feel that can change in 2018.

The last time Bayshore High School produced a winning football season was 2004, and the youngest players in the program this year had just learned to walk.

The Bruins’ last playoff appearance came a year later, when even this year’s senior class was not yet in elementary school.

Yet there is not only optimism on the south side of Bradenton this summer, there are playoff expectations.

“I have said it to the coaches — not to the kids so much — that the pressure is on me this year to win,” coach John Biezuns said. “This is Year 3, and everyone knows Year 3 is the year to make a jump. We started building something in Year 2. … Now, a winning record should be a given.”

Such expectations are high for reasons.

Eleven starters return, including the front seven from a defense that held opponents to an average of 15 points per game.

Four transfers should significantly bolster an offense that struggled to score, contributing to Bayshore (3-5) losing four games last season by a total of 15 points. A switch to the spread attack should also help.

What to watch for in 2018

Treyvon Jefferson showed up to Biezuns’ office out of the blue one day after his family relocated from Nashville, Tenn.

First, the coach asked if the 6-foot-4, 185-pound stranger had played football before. Jefferson replied yes, he was a quarterback.

Then the coach asked if he was a junior or senior. When Jefferson replied he was going to be a freshman, Biezuns was all smiles. After a strong summer and preseason, Jefferson will line up in the shotgun on opening night, where Bayshore coaches hope he will remain for the next four seasons.

“At the end of the day he is 14, so we are not going to put a ton of pressure on him,” Biezuns said. “Three returning guys up front started all eight games. There are playmakers all around him. So even in situations he might get foggy vision, there are guys who will help him out. He just has to manage the game.”

The offensive line will also be key. It’s anchored by senior Alex Staley (6-4, 375) and junior Juan Vaquero (5-9, 245). Transfers Jesse Cannon (6-3, 340), who moves over from Southeast, and Bryan Smith (6-4, 260), who comes over from Manatee, are expected to start immediately.

“We will be big on the line this year — the biggest we’ve been and a couple of our backups are over 260,” Biezuns said.

What can go right

The defense that allowed only two teams to score more than two touchdowns should be stronger.

Linebacker and senior captain Corey VonBorstel leads the unit, and junior Brian Coleman, no longer encumbered by quarterback duties, moves to the secondary full time.

“Corey was probably our best defensive player last season,” Biezuns said.

If senior Eishinner Sanon lives up to his Division I potential and junior Zy’darrian James can stay healthy, Biezuns’ switch to the spread will look ingenious.

“Both will be on the field at the same time,” Biezuns said. “Both are going to touch the football a lot each game.”

Sanon was ineligible last season after transferring in from Georgia.

What can go wrong

With only 37 players out for the start of fall camp, Bayshore has little to no depth. Nowhere is that more acute than on the defensive line, where only four players are available. Even using a 3-4 alignment, the Bruins have no margin for error.

Bayshore can’t afford to get off to another slow start. Two seasons ago, it went 0-9 and didn’t score until the fifth game.

Last year, the Bruins started 0-4 on the field and had two games canceled in the first six weeks.

Bayshore scored 92 points total on 11 touchdowns last season. Two of those touchdowns were scored by the defense.

Teams focus on stopping the run and the talented, but inexperienced wide receiver corps can’t make opponents loosen up.

Difference makers

Senior wide receiver Le’Quayvaious Greene is eligible after transferring from Manatee more than a year ago.

“A lot of kids, after being declared ineligible, would have walked away, but he worked hard every day, got his grades up and put in the work,” Biezuns said. “He is one of the best receivers in our district and maybe the county.”

Junior safety Devon Randall is one of the returning starters on defense.

“He is a superstar in the making,” Biezuns said. “If he can get his grades up, he will be getting a bunch of offers.”

The last word

“The (spread offense) fit perfectly with what we had coming back: a lot of skill at receiver and in the slot. Green is probably our biggest acquisition. Knowing we had him and (sophomore) Kevin Campbell, who played JV last year and did everything, we have two game-breakers. With James and Sanon, that gives us four kids who can do it all.” — Biezuns

2018 schedule

Aug. 24 at Sarasota, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 vs. Lakewood Ranch, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs. Cape Coral Island Coast, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Southeast, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 vs. Sarasota Booker, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs. North Port, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 at Wauchula Hardee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Arcadia DeSoto, 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 vs. Englewood Lemon Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 vs. Mulberry, 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published August 10, 2018 at 10:22 AM.