High School Varsity Football Touchdown Preview: East Bay High School, 2024

East Bay High School has been one of the more dominant football programs in Hillsborough County since head coach Mike Gottman took over in 2021. The Indians are going for three straight district titles.

Gottman’s East Bay squad will compete in a brand-new district with new challenges. The head coach is happy with his team’s run defense but said that they need to give up less big plays in the secondary. The Indians will replace their whole defensive front, along with two linebackers. Gottman said that he would like more depth to be developed overall.

Senior second-year quarterback William ‘Rocco’ Boyd will run the offense. Gottman said that Boyd is a dual threat, has a strong grasp of the offense and is a team captain. He should be more effective this season behind an experienced offensive line that brings back three starters.

The Indians will have a lot of experience with six returning starters on offense and five on defense. Key players include senior receiver/free safety Dravyn Oblak, who had a touchdown in preseason against Durant; senior linebacker Justin Cornish; sophomore cornerback Carlos Lemons; and senior running back/linebacker Jaeryn Millerd.

The Indians are in a new district with Spoto, Leto and Tampa Bay Tech. The team will have to get past a dominant Tampa Bay Tech program if they want to win three district titles in a row.

Gottman wants his team to take it one game at a time and not get ahead of themselves. They have a winnable schedule early on but will have their main test when they play Wharton, Tampa Bay Tech and Riverview three games in a row, late in the season.

“I want to be very competitive and for us to play football at a high level,” said Gottman. “That’s what we do, and that’s kind of the standard. We have a lot of work to do. We have to embrace the grind and the heat and the process and try to get better every practice.”

Schedule:

8/23 vs. Strawberry Crest

10/25 @ Spoto