Anclote (FL) working on turning around the program

HOLIDAY, FL – It’s the first off-season for Greg Climan as the head football coach at Anclote High School and the Sharks are looking towards turning around the program’s fortunes.

Last season the club went 1-8 under then head coach Antony Smith, who stepped away due to personal reasons. Enter Climan, formerly a wrestling coach at Brooksville Central, who comes onto the scene as a proven program builder. His first off-season with the Sharks has gone well, as the team looks to build on getting more players out.

“The offseason has been great so far,” Climan said. “We have a core group of players that have been committed and worked hard through the summer, and I've really enjoyed building a relationship with that group. That’s the group that I know I'll be able to rely on for this season and seasons to come.”

Figuring out what personnel the Sharks will be relying upon this fall has been the next big question Climan has been faced with. Anclote was one of the programs faced with lower player numbers in terms of roster size, but the Sharks have been building upon who’s been coming out for off-season workouts.

The one standout Climan sees the team heavily relying upon is junior Damian Spencer. Spencer is going to play both sides of the ball for Anclote and had a good performance in the spring game versus Gulf, including a highlighted 57-yard scamper. Acoording to Climan, other players the team will be expecting to step-up are Isaiah Stewart, Jason Davis and Prince Walters.

“We're still figuring out personnel and our team will look different on August 19 than it does right now,” Climan said. “I know that just based off of summer workouts and spring performance, junior Damian Spencer is going to be a key player for us on both sides of the ball. He’s worked very hard this summer and had some good runs in the spring game, including a 57-yarder.

“Sophomore Isaiah Stewart didnt play in the spring because of an injury, but he's recovered well and worked hard this summer. Sophomore Jason Davis is another guy that is gonna be an impact player for us on defense and get some reps on offense as well at tight end and wide receiver. He was one of four guys that played offensive line for the first time in the spring because we only had one true offensive lineman, which was senior Prince Walters.”

Climan wasn’t an assistant on a coaching staff in 2021 but was previously an assistant for Central in years past and knows what it will take to turn around Anclote’s downtrodden program as of late. The Sharks have goals to win every part of the year broken down into summer, fall, winter and spring.

The intangibles from having good attendance and bringing great competitiveness every week are amongst other goals Climan has given down to his team. Anclote will play within a new district in Class 2-Suburban, District 11 with the likes of Hudson, Central, Weeki Wachee and Nature Coast. Though there will be tough days ahead, Anclote has a chance to win on and off the field.

“The goal is simple: just be the best team we can be every week,” Climan added. “I broke it down to the players like this, we have four seasons. Summer, fall, winter, and spring. The goal will be to win each season. Winning in the summer means to have good attendance, work hard when you're here, and we're focusing on competitiveness and leadership for the next five weeks.

“A new set of goals will be set for the fall based on how the summer goes. One thing I’ve learned is to be fluid with my expectations and to be clear about what they are. Our team has a lot of work to do from the inside out, and we can't expect to win on game days if we aren’t a great team first.”

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