2023 Team Preview: After a season of close losses, Pace football seeks "vengeance"
Every athlete that has stepped on the field or coach that has roamed the sidelines can tell you the same thing: the losses tend to stick with you longer than the wins.
After stumbling to a losing season in 2021, the Pace football team had a solid bounce-back campaign in 2022, putting up seven wins en route to a state postseason berth. But it is the defeats, suffered in the agonizing fashion, that is fueling the Patriots entering 2023.
All four of Pace’s losses last season were decided by eight points or less.
That includes a last-second 35-34 crusher at Buchholz during the Region 1-4S quarterfinals. The Bobcats pulled ahead after scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 47.8 seconds left. The visitors had an opportunity to drive for the game-winning field goal, but those chances were thwarted when an interception sealed the game.
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To the Patriots’ credit, the players have not hidden from that devastating defeat. If anything, they seek retribution against anyone they line up against.
“Every year we have a word that we go by to remind us, and that word is ‘vengeance,’” Patriots senior linebacker Jackson Ward said. “From last year, we made it to the playoffs and lost by one point. Every game we lost was less than a touchdown. We want to come back and make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The coaching staff is aligned with that message as well. Every play matters in a 48-minute contest, but coaches have preached the importance of execution to close out games, whether that’d be holding off an opponent and making the necessary plays to pull off a game-winning drive.
“We had four games we didn’t win and all four of those games were winnable,” Smith said. “All of them were by a touchdown or less, and a couple of them were in the last 30 seconds of the game where we didn’t get it done. … We have talked about that aspect of being able to win those close ball games at the end.”
The team's mentality appears to be in the right place, and the pieces to another successful year is there as well.
'This is my last shot'
Smith calls Ward the "leader of the defense" – and with good reason.
The middle linebacker has been one of the area's most productive players while in Pace uniform. No players over the past two years has collected more tackles than Ward.
After pacing the area during the regular season with 126 stops as a sophomore, he concluded his junior with with 123 tackles.
He intends to continue his excellent play following an offseason regimen that has aided in his explosiveness. Despite dealing with hip issues in the past, the senior believes he's faster and moves more fluidly thanks to competing in track and field during the spring. Additionally, he's added 20 pounds to his frame, going from 215 pounds at the end of last season to currently sitting at 235.
All of the work during the offseason comes with a sense of urgency, pinned to the hopes of playing at the next level.
“Definitely a lot more pressure on the line because it is my last year,” Ward said. “I want coaches to be looking at me, because this is my last shot. Also, this is the last opportunity I get to play with my brothers. I’m looking forward to it, though. This is definitely the most excited I’ve been coming into a season.”
Deep on talent
Linebacker is possibly the Patriots' deepest position, according to Smith.
Slated to line up along side Ward is junior Karmello Smith, who ranked fifth on the Patriots with 57 tackles a year ago. Elsewhere, fellow juniors Kenden Caven, Carson Lowe and senior Chase Taylor round out the core.
The defensive line features a blossoming star in junior Tylon Lee. The athletic 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end splashed onto the scene last season, finishing with first on the team in hurries (24), tied for first in sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (10) while placing second in tackles (88).
Colleges have taken notice. Since last November, Lee has accumulated 17 Division I offers, which includes the likes of Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee and Mississippi State.
“Tylon has had a good summer,” Smith said. “He’s bigger and faster and he’s gotten a lot of attention. He’s going to do good things for us.”
Elsewhere up front, senior Mason Bishop and sophomore Keegan Dickerson will provides stability in the middle of the line.
Meanwhile, the back end of the defense is led by senior Xakery Wiedner. In his first season at Pace, Wiedner racked up team-highs of three interceptions and 16 passes defended while wrapping up 55 tackles a year ago. He committed to play collegiately at Coastal Carolina during the spring.
Other notable returning players in the secondary are senior safety Brayden Gates (83 Tk, 2 Int, 9 PD) and Junior Lyons (23 Tk, 1 Int, 7 PD).
"Always the important of defense is being physical, and the other part is not giving up big plays," Smith said. "I think if we do that, we'll be successful."
More passing to complement the run
If there is one position where the Patriots need to develop players, it's at offensive line, where they graduated four of five starters from last season. However, following a stellar debut showing, the one returning starter is already one of the best linemen in the state.
Sophomore Grant Wise, son of Pace assistant coach Ty Wise, has tremendous mobility, hands and power to finish off blocks. Like Lee, the 6-4, 300-pound offensive tackle has been on the radar of college coaches, landing offers from nine Division I offers.
Even with the questions up front, Pace will still maintain its offensive identity as a run-heavy attack.
Junior running back Ben Tyner (707 rushing yards, 6 TDs) is back, as his junior quarterback Nick Simmons. One year after watching his older brother, Nate, start for the Patriots, the younger Simmons was a true dual-threat option in his first year at the helm.
Crossing the goal line on 22 occasions, Simmons rushed for 926 yards, good for fifth in the area. He also completed 50 percent of his passes for 768 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
“In our offense, it’s very important to have an offense that can run. Nick does a great job with that," Smith said. "I think he’s gotten better with throwing, and I thought we were pretty successful throwing last year when we threw. We got some guys to go to with the ball, so I’m looking for another good year out of Nick.”
Playing both sides of the ball, Wiedner was the top offensive option in 2022, as he hauled in 22 catches for 492 yards and nine scores. He also added 454 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
With an improved Simmons, Wiedner is in line another year of big numbers. Other wideout targets include Lyons, senior Carson Wright, junior Nash Pires, and junior Joseph Skipworth, who the head coach notes as a standout this summer.
Pace Patriots
District: 1-4S
Coach: Kent Smith (eighth season as Patriots head coach, 34-36 record at Pace)
Last Year: 7-4 record (2-2 in District 1-4S), lost to Buchholz 35-34 in Region 1-4S quarterfinal
Key Players: Jackson Ward, LB, Sr.; Xakery Wiedner, ATH, Sr.; Nick Simmons, QB, Jr.; Tylon Lee, DL; Grant Wise, OL, So.; Brayden Gates, Sr., DB; Ben Tyner, RB, Jr.
Key Losses: Reice Griffith, Jayson Alford, Will Rhoades, Brandon Beckham, Allen Bellew, Ethan Diamond (transfer)
2023 Regular Season Schedule:
8/25: vs. Choctaw
9/1: vs. Lincoln
9/8: at West Florida
9/15: vs. Crestview
Bye Week
9/29: at Gulf Breeze
10/5: at Pensacola
10/13: at Tate
10/20: vs. Navarre
10/27: vs. Milton
11/3: vs. Hollis Christian Academy
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: High School Football: Talented Pace fueled by "vengeance" in 2023
