Veteran defense and promising offense has Escambia geared for another winning season in 2023

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

A saying seemingly as old as time perfectly explains the build up to Escambia’s 2023 football campaign.

Every single year there are player changes, and this season for the Gators, those changes are prominent at the offensive side of the ball. But with head coach Mike Bennett in charge, the goal remains what it has always been: to compete for a state title.

Bennett has produced winning seasons every year since his arrival in 2017, but since guiding the program to the state title game in 2019, the program has been unable to match those heights.

Last year, mistakes and turnovers proved costly during the Gators’ 17-15 loss to Columbia in the Region 1-3S semifinals. Escambia mounted a late rally and had a chance to tie in the closing moments, but the team ultimately fell short.

Kickoff Classic: Milton's run game proves to be vital in preseason victory over Pensacola

Kickoff Classic: Marquez Jones scores four times in West Florida's preseason win at Navarre

Many of the main pieces, particularly on defense, from a year ago are back while the new additions, either via transfer or players stepping up to a new role, makes for an intriguing mixture; one that has the head coach extremely excited entering the 2023.

“I’m looking forward to this year just because it’s a new team, but we got a lot of guys back. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re gonna do,” said Bennett, who has a 53-15 record his six prior seasons at Escambia.

Senior defensive lineman D.K. Hines added, “I can’t say we had a major loss because the people we did have that were seniors and graduated, we had a backup that was ready to work and ready to take their spot."

'Even better this year'

At the center of that excitement is a starting secondary that didn’t lose a single player from a year ago.

Senior safeties Trevion Killette and Tadarius Wright along with junior cornerbacks Taiylor Bradsher and Ladarian Clardy are all back after combining for 254 tackles and 30 passes defended. Wright paced the bunch with 83 tackles while Killette topped the group with 11 passes defended and a pair of interceptions.

Bennett has compared that foursome to his Pensacola High secondary that helped the Tigers win the state title in 2009.

“They were all good last year and they’re even better this year,” he said.

The two seniors are considered the leaders of the secondary while Clardy, who has received 12 Division I offers since January, is considered the best athlete of the crew. That athleticism will also be displayed as a special teams returner.

Meanwhile, Bradsher is the sleeper of the unit and is in line for a breakout season if you ask the coaching staff.

So what makes that collection of talent possibly the best secondary in the area? Bennett says how the unit prepares that’s the difference. The players are coachable and there are few better coaches to take instruction from than long-time defensive coordinator Gary Cowart.

“I think there are a lot of great coaches around, but Gary Cowart has been doing it so long and he’s helped put a lot of kids in college,” Bennett said. “I got a great quote from Tony Broadnax, who was top-three in the state in interceptions in 2019. He said Coach Cowart knew the routes by alignment before they ever ran them, that’s how he jumped so many routes. He contributes that to Coach Cowart and I contribute that to Coach Cowart as well, he’s just an awesome defensive coach.”

'Feels like an improvement'

As for the rest of the defense, Escambia returns its top sack leaders from a year ago in Hines (5.5 sacks) and senior defensive end Messiah Everheart (4.5 sacks).

The Gators are equipped to bring even more pressure to the quarterback in 2023 with the addition of Ryan McVay. The senior defensive end transferred from Pine Forest during the summer.

Football's Back: Tate shows new 'brand' of football in Kickoff Classic against Washington

Preseason Football roundup: Pace takes down Catholic in lower-scoring, defensive battle

Named PNJ’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year, McVay put up the best numbers on the area’s best defense, collecting 62 tackles and six sacks. One of those sacks came in Pine Forest’s district-clinching win at Escambia.

Now, donning the orange and blue colors, the senior now views the Gators program in a different light.

“So far, from what I’ve seen, it feels like an improvement. We got a lot of chemistry,” McVay said. “Last year, when I was with Pine Forest and we played Escambia, everybody here was trying to do their own thing. Now, after this summer, we’ve been working and bonding. So I feel like that this gives us great momentum and it's something great to have as we get deeper into the season.”

Elsewhere, the middle of the defense features possibly the Gators’ best player in LeJon Williams.

The senior linebacker was among the area’s top performers with a team-high 122 tackles, 15 of which went for a loss. He also added three sacks and a fumble recovery.

Williams, an Army commit, is the owner of a 4.2 GPA. With his intelligence on and off the field, the senior reminds Bennett of another player he’s coached in his career: Ben Waldrop.

Graduating from Pensacola High in 1997, Waldrop enjoyed collegiate playing careers at Troy and Florida State. He is currently the head coach at Cocoa Beach.

“(Waldrop) was just a high IQ, really smart guy like LeJon,” Bennett said. “He just would love to hit you, and I think LeJon is a lot like him. … And their characters are the same way.”

Holes to fill

As strong as the defense as the defense appears it will be, there are some question marks offensively, particularly up front.

Three key starters in Alfred Washington, Isaiah Jones and Derick Whitehurst are all gone due to graduation. Once a veteran group will now feature plenty of youth and inexperience.

However, with offensive line coach Tony Armstrong in charge, Bennett is confident that the players are there to create a solid and cohesive force. The coaching staff is high on two seniors to headline the unit in returning starter Zach Faxon and Jashawn Williams, who returns to the program after spending last season in Houston. Williams is the team’s largest lineman, listed at 6-foot-2, 300 pounds.

“I feel like we have a few good young guys with a couple of seniors that we have,” Bennett said. “So I’m excited to see how they play and how they’re going to grow.

“I like their size, I like their speed, I like their quickness. We just got to see if we can put it all together.”

Latest team preview: Booker T. Washington football coaches have challenged their team to 'sink or swim.' Can the Wildcats stay above water?

Mother Nature: Could high school football games be delayed or postponed due to heat? The answer is yes

Outside of Northview’s Jamarkus Jefferson, there was no single player in the area more valuable to his team’s success than Akeem “Baby” Stokes. Selected to the Class 3A First Team All-State offense, Stokes, who is currently at Hutchinson Community College, racked up 79 catches for an area-best 1,124 and nine total touchdowns.

The Gators will look at a number of options on the outside to replace that production.

Senior wide receivers Cam Mayo and Santwon Burnside, who according to Bennett “does Baby things,” are the team’s top two returners. Each player recorded 14 catches and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Tate transfer Diego Dukes and Pine Forest transfer Joshua Jackson are other names to keep an eye out for.

At running back, the team will rely on Dorrion Brooks to handle the workload. The junior rushed for 569 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago.

Lastly, a former wide receiver will be taking the snaps this season.

Anthony Hall steps into the role as the team’s starting quarterback. The senior only threw three passes while making nine catches as a junior. With the shift in position, Hall has quietly come out of his shell as a leader, but the coaches believe the tools are there to be successful, from throwing ability to underrated mobility.

And with his experience at wide receiver, Hall has a great understanding of the route tree and run-pass-option offense the team operates out of.

“He’s got a great arm, high instinct and high IQ for the game,” Bennett said. “Everyone will tell you Ant can’t run. Well, they said that about A.V. Smith, too, back when we went to the state finals. A.V. made some good runs and Ant reminds me of him in that he’s a lot faster than they think he is.”

Escambia Gators

District: 1-3S

Coach: Mike Bennett (Seventh season as Gators head coach, 53-15 record at Escambia)

Last Year: 8-4 record (3-1 in District), lost to Columbia 17-15 in a Region 1-3S semifinal

Key Players: LeJon Williams, LB, Sr., Ladarian Clardy, DB, Jr., Trevion Killette, DB, Sr., Ryan McVay, DL, Sr., Tadarius Wright, DB, Sr., Anthony Hall, QB, Sr., DK, Hines, DL, Sr.

Key Losses: Akeem Stokes, Ammiel Steele, Alfred Washington, Isaiah Jones, Ji'quez Minor

2023 Regular Season Schedule:

8/24: vs. West Florida

9/1: vs. Pensacola Catholic

9/8: at Gulf Breeze

9/15: at Fort Walton Beach

9/22: at Milton

9/29: vs. Booker T. Washington

Bye Week

10/13: at Choctaw

10/20: at Pine Forest

10/27: vs. Tate

11/3: vs. Pensacola

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: Football: Can Escambia's new offensive players catch up to devastating D?