Calvary Christian
Coach: Todd Yoder (second season, 5-5)
Last season: 5-5
Class/district:3A-5
Colors: Gold and navy
Stadium: The Rock, 110 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater
Playoff appearances: None
Season schedule
Aug. 29at Cambridge Christian (Skyway Park), 7:30
Sept. 5at St. John Neumann, 7
Sept. 12at Northside Christian, 7
Sept. 26vs. Seffner Christian, 7:30
Oct. 3vs. Admiral Farragut, 7:30
Oct. 10vs. Jupiter Christian, 7
Oct. 17at Clearwater Central Catholic, 7:30
Oct. 31at St. Petersburg Catholic, 7
Nov. 7at Indian Rocks Christian, 7:30
*The Warriors are looking for an opponent to fill the Oct. 24 spot. They originally were scheduled to play Imagine School, which folded its football program due to lack of participation.
Mark your calendar
Calvary Christian at Indian Rocks Christian, Nov. 7: This classic rivalry has been one-sided as of late, with IRC winning nine of the last 10 meetings. This could be a pivotal matchup for an improved Warriors squad as they try to get over the .500 mark.
Huddle highlights
Sched doesn’t ease up: The Warriors limped into the offseason with a 1-4 record in the second half of the season. Calvary could be in store for that same fate again this year as three of its final four games come on the road against teams with winning records from last season.
Talent infusion: A year ago, Jack Sheehan and Stephon Williams helped district rival St. Petersburg Catholic rout the Warriors 65-21. When the teams meet on Halloween, Sheehan and Williams will be wearing gold and navy instead of black and gold. The transfers should play a big role for the Warriors. Williams’ 736 yards and eight touchdowns will help fill the void left by Danny Giordano in the backfield. Sheehan, who threw for more than 1,000 yards on a run-heavy Barons squad, will likely start at quarterback for the Warriors.
Experience counts: The Calvary roster will be deep with veteran leadership and experience. The Warriors will go into Week 1 with at least 15 seniors on the sideline. That depth is filled with athletically gifted players, especially at the skill positions, who will be expected to play multiple different positions.
Known quantities
QB Jeremy Wood, Sr.: Last season’s starter proved difficult for defenses to figure out. Four times in 2013, Wood threw for more than 150 yards and rushed for more than 50 on four other occasions. With the addition of Sheehan, Yoder is free to put Wood at a variety of positions on offense. Expect to see the senior get time at receiver, running back and under center.
TE/DE Wesley Vollmer, Sr.: At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Vollmer provides more than just size up front. He led the team in receiving yards (395) and was tied for first with three touchdown grabs. On defense, Vollmer will add depth to a unit full of veterans. His 52 total tackles last season were third most on the team.
Up-and-comer
WR Graham Hoffman, So.: Hoffman played in all 10 games as a freshman, and his two touchdown catches were third most among Calvary receivers. He will add depth to an offense filled with impact players.
Coach’s corner
“The nice thing about this group of seniors is that they’ve been playing since they were sophomores. They just played as sophomores, they started when they were juniors and now this is their time to show everybody what they’ve got.” — Yoder