BAYSHORE BRUINS
John Biezuns doesn’t like to pigeonhole himself into one offense.
At the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, a Division III program, he played tackle in a wishbone offense. At his first high school job, he coached it. It wasn’t until he arrived as the head coach at Southwest in Minneapolis that he found the identity he now carries to Bayshore.
With the Lakers, Biezuns didn’t have the personnel to keep running his wishbone. There were athletes he could put out on the edge, so he implemented a spread offense. The student body at Southwest, he said, is similar to what he encountered in the halls at BHS.
“When I took the job here I kind of processed with some people and said, ‘What’s the best?’” the first-year Bruins head coach said. His answer was the solution he used during his only previous head coaching stop.
Bayshore’s base offense will set quarterback Ryan O’Neill back as the quarterback with Tre’shon Wallace as the lone running back to his side. Bayshore will split a pair of wide receivers out to each side, with two on the edge and two in the slot. The slot is where the Bruins’ greatest strength lies on offense with Miguel Rodriguez and Rory Houston serving as the centerpieces of a short-passing attack.
DB to watch
Hakeem Harris, Jr.
Harris will be a contributor on both sides of the ball for Bayshore and an important presence in the Bruins locker room. The safety is a team captain and could be BHS’ most important defensive player. As a strong safety, he’ll be just as important in stopping the run as he is in Bayshore’s pass defense.
Impact newcomer
Jarrett Troupe, Sr., DE
Troupe moved to Florida from Ohio last year, but academics kept him off the field for the Bruins in the fall. With five of BHS’ starters in the front seven gone, Troupe’s emergence as a defensive end and team captain should help Bayshore maintain at least some of the defensive success it used to play competitively in its district last season.
At a glance
Herald’s forecast: 1-9
Bayshore has finished .500 once since Raymond Woodie’s departure after the 2007 season. First-year head coach John Biezuns is the latest to attempt a turnaround. BHS meets playoff contenders during each of the first five weeks. Biezuns’ job could be maintaining morale and excitement around the program as it enters winnable games during the second half of the year. The team faces road trips to Wauchula (Hardee) and Arcadia (DeSoto County). The difference between playoff contenders and also-rans is thin in Class 5A-District 11. Bayshore has an opportunity to rebuild quickly.
Deep at: Secondary
Thin at: Front seven
Head coach: John Biezuns
Career: First year, 20-9 in three seasons at Southwest (Minn.).
2016 schedule
A26 | Braden River |
S2 | at Lakewood Ranch |
S16 | at Southeast* |
S23 | Palmetto |
S30 | Sarasota Booker* |
O7 | North Port |
O14 | at Hardee* |
O21 | at DeSoto County* |
O28 | Lemon Bay* |
N4 | Cardinal Mooney |
Games start at 7:30 p.m.
* — Class 5A-District 11 game
2015 results
at Braden River L, 42-0 |
Lakewood Ranch L, 40-0 |
Southeast L, 24-7 |
at Palmetto L, 35-0 |
at Sarasota Booker W, 17-14 |
at North Port L, 21-12 |
Hardee L, 38-15 |
Desoto County L, 9-3 |
at Lemon Bay L, 36-7 |
at Cardinal Mooney W, 14-10 |
This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "BAYSHORE BRUINS."