Clearwater (FL) football looks to turn some heads come fall

CLEARWATER, FL – It was a bitter ending to the Clearwater Tornadoes’ 2021 football season.

The Tornadoes were just moments away from booking their ticket to the Class 5A state semifinals before the Sebring Blue Streaks knocked home a go-ahead field goal that sent them instead on to states. That bad taste in the mouth for Clearwater has left the team yearning for more in the upcoming 2022 campaign, but it has plenty of holes to fill on both offense and defense.

Two big pieces on offense that the Tornadoes will have to fill in at is the quarterback position and at wide receiver, with Aidan Maclean and Censere Lee both graduating. Maclean set records last fall, with the right-handed signal caller throwing for 2,785 yards and a Pinellas County record 42 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Maclean’s favorite target was wide-out Lee, who caught a team-high 57 passes for 1,262 yards and 22 touchdowns.

“Replacing a quarterback like Aidan MacLean is very challenging,” Clearwater head coach Thor Jozwiak said. “The young man broke a Pinellas County record and set a new record that could stand for a long time with 42 passing touchdowns on the year last year. How do you replace somebody like that? You install the next man up mentality and we’ve had a great quarterback battle throughout spring and we have two quarterbacks that are starting to shine.”

It’s not just Maclean and Lee that Clearwater has to withstand losing, however. The Tornadoes also lost their top rusher from a year ago in Efrem Only (1,195 yards, 14 touchdowns) and top tackler Jonquis Bonney (89 tackles, 10 for a loss). Jozwiak points to the team’s depth as a reason for optimism that the Tornadoes won’t be falling off anytime soon.

The incumbent at the quarterback position looks to be Trey Whirley, who will be the team’s starter heading into camp. Whirley already holds an offer from the University of Tennessee Martin and has some big shoes to fill when it comes to Maclean.

Jozwiak, a former University of South Florida offensive lineman, has Clearwater playing a tough slate of games this fall with some of the toughest teams in the state on the Tornadoes’ schedule. The Tornadoes will open up with preseason play against Hillsborough before facing Lakeland at home to start the regular season

“Trey Whirley and Aidan Owens are definitely competing for our season,” Jozwiak said. “Both of them pushing each other is only going to make this team better. But Trey Whirley has stepped up and his work ethic has been unreal. Owens has completely changed his outlook not only in football but on life and he’s starting to shine.”

Jozwiak, a former University of South Florida offensive lineman, has Clearwater playing a tough slate of games this fall with some of the toughest teams in the state on the Tornadoes’ schedule. The Tornadoes will open up with preseason play against Hillsborough before facing Lakeland at home to start the regular season.

Clearwater will also face Pinellas County foes like Largo, Calvary Christian and East Lake along with Berkeley Prep towards the end of the season. Jozwiak’s squad is part of the 2-Metro, District 7, that figures to be a very competitive district. Along with Clearwater, it also includes Berkeley Prep, Calvary Christian and Dunedin. With the pieces that the Tornadoes have returning, they should be right in the mix contending for a district championship.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.