NATIONAL DEFENSE
Jessica Pluchino
Jessica Pluchino
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS. We have all heard the saying before. The 2007 Venice Indians are hoping that having a good defense will translate into just that, a return to past glory and a shot at the district title.
New defensive coordinator Larry Shannon has his unit working hard and making things happen on the field. So far they stopped the always-athletic Riverview Rams, shutout Braden River, and shutdown Division I Quarterback and State Champion pitcher Casey Kelly’s passing game. There is still work to be done with this young group and a great deal of potential to develop.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Coach Shannon and ask him a few questions about this season. This is what he had to say…
Jessica Pluchino: Going into this season as the new Defensive Coordinator, what were some goals or standards that you wanted to set for you as a coach and your players?
Larry Shannon: I wanted our defense to be a physical unit that played with great effort. A unit who dominated the line of scrimmage, to be great tacklers, cause turnovers, and not give up big plays. Anyone who watched us play could see eleven guys swarming the ball.
JP: Do you feel your defense has reached any of those standards?
LS: It’s a work in progress. We didn’t have a lot of experience returning from last year so the players are still learning how to play the way we want them too. Right now we are two out of three. We played very well against Riverview and Braden River but we did not step up and get it done against Sarasota.
JP: Describe the type of work and time that you, the other defensive coaches, and the players put in week-to-week preparing for an opponents offense.
LS: We watch as much film of our opponents as possible and develop a very detailed scouting report. We break down what they do on offense and present it to our players in a way that they can understand it. It’s important not to overload the players with information that might confuse them.
JP: It seems that the Venice Defense has enormous potential, what would you say are some things that need to be worked on or improved?
LS: We have to be consistent. Every week is going to present a new challenge.
JP: How do you feel the defense has performed thus far?
LS: I knew we had a chance to be a good defense. We have had some key injuries to deal with but other players have stepped up. We have done some good things but there is still a lot of room for improvement. This defense is still a work in progress but I like the direction we are headed.
JP: Is there anyone in particular that stands out this season?
LS: Andy C is playing very well. He is playing a new position. He is tough to block and is dominating the line of scrimmage. He has great ability and he will play at the next level. Gerald Oriol is un-blockable at times. He is playing a new position from last year and playing it very well. He has an unbelievable motor and is going to have a very big year. Nate Sardinas is a gamer. He plays with great emotion and makes a bunch of plays because he hustles on every play. I’m expecting big things from him the rest of the season. I’m very excited with the defensive backs. They have played very well vs. the pass.
JP: Ethan Mix has been sidelined with an injury since the start of the season. How has that affected the defense, and has anyone stepped up to fill the void.
LS: It was a big blow because he is our emotional leader. He is our most experienced player and was the only returning starter at LB. We have had to make adjustments without him and are looking forward to his return. Tim Nixon and Kyle Keefe have stepped up and played well at middle linebacker.
JP: How do you feel the defense played against Riverview?
LS: We dominated a physical and athletic Riverview team. We had terrible field position all night long and the defense went out there with a no excuses attitude and played a great game. It was a coming out party for Gerald Oriol who played one of the best games a defender has played at Venice.
JP: How exciting was it to get a shutout against Braden River?
LS: We were very excited to get a shutout. We played well in all areas. We didn’t give up any big plays. We shut down the run and had three interceptions. We knew we could dominate and anytime you can prevent your opponent from scoring you have to be proud.
JP: Sarasota?
LS: We had a let down against Sarasota and did not defend the run well which cost us the game. The secondary played very well and shutdown Casey Kelly who is a very good drop back passer. We knew we would have opportunities to get some interceptions and we did. We didn’t play very good against the run and missed too many tackles. It was a good learning experience and it will make us better.
JP: Lakewood Ranch is up next. What can we expect to see out of their offense?
LS: It is another great challenge for our defense. They are a tough team who will run the ball right at us and they will spread us out and try to throw the ball down field.
Expect Venice to come out fired up when they take on Lakewood Ranch this evening. Co-Captain Andy Czuprynski had this to say about the past three games. “After the Riverview and Braden River games we felt as though we had one of the best defenses around. Letting Sarasota gain that many yards on the ground kind of felt like a big step back. But we are taking this loss as a learning experience and using it as motivation to improve.”
We will see just how motivated the Indians are tonight as they start district play at Powell-Davis Stadium.
New defensive coordinator Larry Shannon has his unit working hard and making things happen on the field. So far they stopped the always-athletic Riverview Rams, shutout Braden River, and shutdown Division I Quarterback and State Champion pitcher Casey Kelly’s passing game. There is still work to be done with this young group and a great deal of potential to develop.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Coach Shannon and ask him a few questions about this season. This is what he had to say…
Jessica Pluchino: Going into this season as the new Defensive Coordinator, what were some goals or standards that you wanted to set for you as a coach and your players?
Larry Shannon: I wanted our defense to be a physical unit that played with great effort. A unit who dominated the line of scrimmage, to be great tacklers, cause turnovers, and not give up big plays. Anyone who watched us play could see eleven guys swarming the ball.
JP: Do you feel your defense has reached any of those standards?
LS: It’s a work in progress. We didn’t have a lot of experience returning from last year so the players are still learning how to play the way we want them too. Right now we are two out of three. We played very well against Riverview and Braden River but we did not step up and get it done against Sarasota.
JP: Describe the type of work and time that you, the other defensive coaches, and the players put in week-to-week preparing for an opponents offense.
LS: We watch as much film of our opponents as possible and develop a very detailed scouting report. We break down what they do on offense and present it to our players in a way that they can understand it. It’s important not to overload the players with information that might confuse them.
JP: It seems that the Venice Defense has enormous potential, what would you say are some things that need to be worked on or improved?
LS: We have to be consistent. Every week is going to present a new challenge.
JP: How do you feel the defense has performed thus far?
LS: I knew we had a chance to be a good defense. We have had some key injuries to deal with but other players have stepped up. We have done some good things but there is still a lot of room for improvement. This defense is still a work in progress but I like the direction we are headed.
JP: Is there anyone in particular that stands out this season?
LS: Andy C is playing very well. He is playing a new position. He is tough to block and is dominating the line of scrimmage. He has great ability and he will play at the next level. Gerald Oriol is un-blockable at times. He is playing a new position from last year and playing it very well. He has an unbelievable motor and is going to have a very big year. Nate Sardinas is a gamer. He plays with great emotion and makes a bunch of plays because he hustles on every play. I’m expecting big things from him the rest of the season. I’m very excited with the defensive backs. They have played very well vs. the pass.
JP: Ethan Mix has been sidelined with an injury since the start of the season. How has that affected the defense, and has anyone stepped up to fill the void.
LS: It was a big blow because he is our emotional leader. He is our most experienced player and was the only returning starter at LB. We have had to make adjustments without him and are looking forward to his return. Tim Nixon and Kyle Keefe have stepped up and played well at middle linebacker.
JP: How do you feel the defense played against Riverview?
LS: We dominated a physical and athletic Riverview team. We had terrible field position all night long and the defense went out there with a no excuses attitude and played a great game. It was a coming out party for Gerald Oriol who played one of the best games a defender has played at Venice.
JP: How exciting was it to get a shutout against Braden River?
LS: We were very excited to get a shutout. We played well in all areas. We didn’t give up any big plays. We shut down the run and had three interceptions. We knew we could dominate and anytime you can prevent your opponent from scoring you have to be proud.
JP: Sarasota?
LS: We had a let down against Sarasota and did not defend the run well which cost us the game. The secondary played very well and shutdown Casey Kelly who is a very good drop back passer. We knew we would have opportunities to get some interceptions and we did. We didn’t play very good against the run and missed too many tackles. It was a good learning experience and it will make us better.
JP: Lakewood Ranch is up next. What can we expect to see out of their offense?
LS: It is another great challenge for our defense. They are a tough team who will run the ball right at us and they will spread us out and try to throw the ball down field.
Expect Venice to come out fired up when they take on Lakewood Ranch this evening. Co-Captain Andy Czuprynski had this to say about the past three games. “After the Riverview and Braden River games we felt as though we had one of the best defenses around. Letting Sarasota gain that many yards on the ground kind of felt like a big step back. But we are taking this loss as a learning experience and using it as motivation to improve.”
We will see just how motivated the Indians are tonight as they start district play at Powell-Davis Stadium.
