2009 Board of Director Elections

On January 7, 2009, elections will be held for the Lakeland Eagles Board of Directors, Officers, and Coaches. The location will be the Polk County Sheriff's Office Southwest District substation conference room. The address for the substation is 4120 U.S. Highway 98 South near Lakeland.

2008 Lakeland Eagles Review Slideshow

2008 Varsity Football - Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

I had the great honor coaching the Lakeland Eagles Varsity football team during the 2008 season. This was a team that during the 2007 season suffered a great deal. The numbers on the team were low, and some very serious injuries occurred to our kids during the season. The 2007 Lakeland Eagles Varsity football team, despite their troubles, never quit. Their intestinal fortitude is the kind of thing legends are made of. People in and around the organization still buzz about the team that just would never give up. It was important to me to build on their success of team cohesiveness.

The 2008 Lakeland Eagles Varsity football team can be defined as explosive with great team speed. This football team had absolutely the best pass defense in the league. More often than not, opposing receivers found themselves separated from the football shortly after a reception due to stunning blows by the Eagles corners and safeties. Opposing quarterbacks were highly pressured, and the defense scored numerous sacks and hurries resulting in interceptions and incomplete passes. There was not a team in the West Coast Youth Football Conference that could pass the football on the Lakeland Eagles Varsity. Defensive Coordinator Jerry Monroe's defensive schemes resulted in several shutouts, and only allowed opposing teams to score a total of 80 points for the entire regular season. Pound for pound, the heaviest hitter on this defense was a young man by the name of Darrell Reed. Mr. Reed would deliver punishing hits that even made his own coaches cringe.

The Varsity defense was a staple of this team, the offense was equally good. Led by Quarterback Daisean Wilson, the Eagles offense was able to score from anywhere at anytime. Because of the talent on offense, we were able to spread the ball around keeping opposing defenses on their heels and guessing. The longest play from scrimmage was an 85 yard run by Daisean Wilson who was playing in the tailback position at the time. With impact players such as Kerwin Harrison, Lakeith Wilson, and Quinten Graham, the Eagles offense could effectively mix run and pass plays at will which racked up 159 points during the regular season.

The Lakeland Eagles Varsity team won their division and ended the regular season with a 7-3 record. Like the Junior Varsity team, winning the division came at the earliest possible moment in the season; October 18th. There were only three teams out of 40 in the conference to accomplish task so early. This accomplishment earned the Varsity team a first round bye in the playoffs. The Eagles fell to the Brandon Bears in the second round ending their bid for the Superbowl.

Many people have come to me and told me what a great job I had done with the Varsity team. While I appreciate their comments, the facts and means of our success is clear. Being able to build on the courage of the 2007 Varsity Eagles and surrounding myself with coaches who were more knowledgeable than I such as Josh Gibbons, Jerry Monroe, Matt Lucas, Tony Cox, and Paul Dunn is the reason for our success. I cannot thank these coaches enough for their dedication and hard work.

Junior Varsity Football - Impressive

The Junior Varsity squad dominated the season. Their explosive offense and stingy, hard hitting defense produced a regular season record of 9-1. This well-coached football team had clinched their division by October 18th; the earliest possible date that any team could receive such an honor. The offense, led by Quarterback Christian Alexander, racked up 270 points during the regular season; an average of 27 points per game. Though it is a policy of the Lakeland Eagles not to post individual player stats, it is no secret the work horses for the offense were the offensive line in their entirety. Offensive impact players included Trent Rains, Tyler Cook, and Chandler Teems.

The Junior Varsity defense proved to be the toughest in the league allowing only 11.8 points per game. Speed and strength defined this Eagle defense which resulted in numerous sacks, interceptions, and breath taking hits. Impact players for the defense include Trent Rains, Tyler Cook, Tyler Moore, Carter Purcell, and Chandler Teems.

For those of you who did not see this team in action, I can sum it all up for you in this paragraph. Although this team fell in the 2008 Superbowl to the Brandon Steelers, this was the best youth football team I have ever had the pleasure to watch. Head Coach Eric Gallon and his coaching staff had this team ready to play. This team was fraught with talent, very well disciplined, extremely well coached, and had a kind of swagger about them coveted by major college and professional football teams.

Certainly, I am not comparing this team to major college or professional programs. I will say with a great deal of confidence that this 2008 Junior Varsity Lakeland Eagles football team could compete with any team in the United States of equal age and weight restrictions. Offensive Coordinator Amp Stevens had his quarterback making reads that I have not seen at some high school levels. This team was nothing short of impressive.

2008 A Great Season for the Eagles

If anyone has been to a Lakeland Eagles football game, you have probably asked yourself some of the same questions; Why does the other team seem so much bigger than ours? How do those little guys hit so dang hard? Did cheerleaders move like that when I was that age? The 2008 season was no different. There was plenty of fanfare with dancing cheerleaders, the echos of bone crushing tackles, and the roar of the crowd after a score.

This years highlight for the cheerleaders was the Gulf Coast Cheer Classic. Every cheer squad placed in their divisions, and we could not have been more proud! The Flyweights placed 4th, Supermidgets 3rd, Midgets 2nd, and the Junior Varsity 4th. Our teams will be entering even more competitions for the 2009 season. If you have never been to one of these competitions, you have no idea how much thrill and excitement you are missing! Great job girls, and congratulations on a great year!

I hope you will join us for another exciting season in 2009. Stay tuned for registration details on our website at http://www.lakelandeagles.com/.