Bayshore continues to impress, improves to 2-0 with win over Lakewood Ranch
Bayshore High coach John Biezuns questioned himself after the Bruins went 0-9 in 2016, his first season with the team. He wondered whether he was the right person to turn around a program that hadn’t reached the postseason since 2005.
After the 2016 season, Biezuns turned to Bruins defensive coordinator Jamaal Sanders and asked what he had to do differently. Sanders provided Biezuns a few tips, and the Bruins improved by three wins in 2017, a mark they hadn’t reached in the prior four years.
The Bruins now appear ready to take another step forward after a 19-3 home win against Lakewood Ranch on Friday night. They have won their first two games for the first time in recent memory and haven’t won two of their first three games since 2011.
“Without (Sanders), we wouldn’t be where we are,” Biezuns said. “I can honestly say that.”
Credit given where credit’s due. After recording their first shutout since 2012 in their season opener, the Bruins (2-0) have allowed just three points this season.
Lakewood Ranch (0-2) reached Bayshore’s 1-yard line on its first drive, but the Bruins recovered a fumble. The Mustangs entered the red zone three times but couldn’t score a touchdown.
“(Sanders is) a guru,” Biezuns said. “We haven’t given up a touchdown in, I don’t know. It’s been a while. Our defense is a catalyst. We’re going to stay in a ton of games doing that.”
The Mustangs have lost seven consecutive games after starting last season 3-0. They showed flashes on offense Friday behind senior tight end Drake Theriot, who rushed 26 times for 132 yards, but they didn’t complete a pass and received just 54 yards from players other than Theriot.
The Bruins received solid performances from senior running back Eishinner Sanon, who rushed 19 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Corey Von Borstel, who completed 13 of 16 passes for 97 yards and rushed to convert two crucial fourth-and-1 situations.
Friday’s win gives the Bruins, a Class 5A program, two against Class 7A teams this year. Their proving themselves against teams with more depth suggests they can achieve Biezuns’ goal.
“We take a one-game approach, but I don’t see why we can’t contend for a district title,” he said. “Last year, people called it a fluke. I don’t think it’s a fluke. I don’t see any reason why we can’t compete with the best of the best in our district and challenge for it. That’s our goal this year.”
Bayshore hosts Cape Coral Island Coast at 7:30 p.m. next Friday, a team that won just four games from 2015-17, and Lakewood Ranch travels to Southeast for a 7:30 p.m. game against a team the Mustangs have won two consecutive games against.