3 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Junior Knights become senior Knights to lead Creekside

ST. JOHNS – After Year 1 in his new role as Creekside’s head football coach, Sean McIntyre lost 15 seniors to graduation. He replaced the veteran starters with sophomores starters – which was not ideal.

“We kind of wilted on the vine, to be honest with you,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre lost double the seniors this year – Year 5 – yet the vibe is completely different because he has replaced those starters with juniors and seniors. Those guys have been in McIntyre’s program, played on the junior varsity team,  lifted in their weight room, been in the practices and know how the Knights operate.

Thus, no wilting for the Knights.

“We hope at this point we’re not rebuilding or reloading.”

What they will have to reload, though, is their leadership. Last year was so loaded with seniors, McIntyre didn’t have to think about who would steer the underclassmen and the underclassmen didn’t have to think about steering.

Now, they do. Three of Creekside’s seniors have already stepped up and fulfilled that responsibility.

Here’s a look at three players to watch at Creekside.

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Brendon McMillan

The Knight’s top receiver – and only starter on the offensive side of the ball – is back.

McMillan had 41 receptions, 568 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns last season. McMillan was a part of a three-headed monster that included senior QB Jacob Dennie and RB sensation Preston Strope, who was also a senior.

Those guys, of course, are gone so the Knights will expect a lot of him, McIntyre said. He likes what he has in McMillan.

“He does a great job with the ball in his hands and does a great job on the perimeter,” McIntyre said. “We’re going to rely on him as a veteran presence on offense.”

McMillan already said last spring he is ready to do whatever’s necessary for Creekside to win. He said they have enough talent.

“I’m not worried,” McMillan said.

Ian Mooney/Nate Hernandez

For McIntyre, Mooney and Hernandez are the same player in his mind.

They both are physical linebackers who clean 300 pounds in the weight room. They are both tough, hard-nosed athletes committed to what the Knights are doing who are great students and people, McIntyre said.

“If they’re not making a lot of tackles for us this year, we’re going to be in trouble,” he added.

Mooney and Hernandez are going to be making all the checks, the calls and assuring the Knights are in the correct defense and coverage.

Hernandez is ready to fulfill his new duties as a leader. He and Mooney did it tangibly last year with 135 combined total tackles.

Now they have to do it intangibly.

“We’ve just got to step up this year, mature, and lift up the team,” Hernandez said.

Anthony Akel

Akel will have to take control of the secondary now that former Creekside CB Carter Mceachean and FS Walter Stovall have graduated.

Akel will make sure the secondary is “all on the same page,” McIntyre said.

“He’s really good in pass and really good at helping us as an extra fitter in the box,” McIntyre said.

Akel, like Hernandez, is ready to step up his senior year and is most excited about showing younger players how to hit, he said. He racked up 50 tackles last season.

For McIntyre, Akel, Hernandez, Mooney and McMillan have moved the team forward and held the pulse of the team without any doubt.

It’s important to those guys that they shake off having a great regular season and an early playoff exit against an Apopka team that made it all the way to the 8A state championship. They want to change the narrative of this season.

“We fell apart,” Akel said, referring to the Apopka game. “That’s not going to happen this year.”

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: High school football: 3 Players to Watch at Creekside