Last week’s high school football slate proved to be a wash out with the torrential rains the area has seen of late, but prior to that it was the Nease Panthers defense that had washed out any hopes for opposing offenses the first two weeks of the season.
The Panthers only gave up seven points in each of its first two games against Ponte Vedra and Creekside and there are many factors that have the Panthers playing at such a high level.
One of the top reasons has been the return of defensive coordinator Robert Garth during the offseason, who is part of the Panthers’ staff once again after a stint as an assistant at the college level at Arkansas State University.
His return has signaled a revived energy on the defensive side of the ball and an attitude and confidence that it seen among the best defenses of all time regardless of what level of football it is.
“Coach G is the best defensive coach in the world,” senior safety Shemar McNair said. “I’m really glad I transferred from UC (University Christian School in Jacksonville) and came here. It’s just a blessing to play for someone like that. Coach Drafts and coach G are always doing everything they can to keep us motivated and uplifted.”
Fueling the success of the Panthers’ defense are also the players that Garth has to work with and the depth of talent that has been built up across all levels of the defense, whether it is Jacob Curry, Elisha Luckett or McNair flying around in the secondary, or Joe Miracle and Noah Hodge holding their own in the linebacking corps.
“Each one of us are dogs and we just want it out there, and it shows in how hard we play and the heart that we display out there,” McNair said. “We’ve got something to prove every time we take the field.”
That is evident in this year’s group of defenders at Nease both in the ferocity they swarm to tackle a ball carrier and how quick they are to celebrate after their teammate makes a big play.
“These first two weeks have just been lights out to be honest, and it starts in practice where we’ve been just dialed in and all one page from the very beginning,” McNair said.
Transferring schools can sometimes be a complex situation, especially with just one’s senior year left to play, but McNair is thankful for how smooth the transition to Nease has been and it just seemed like a natural fit from the first time he walked into the program and introduced himself.
“When I first came, the only person I really knew was Jacob Curry because be both played seven-on-seven together, but then it quickly became me and Joe (Miracle) after I learned what type of great dude he is,” McNair said. “I had to earn my spot and that included those relationships with my teammates.”
The plays on the field are what fans cheer on, but according to McNair there is much more to a team and a defense that makes it what it is and those are the lasting bonds that are created in practice and through the school halls each day leading up to Friday nights in the fall.
“We do a lot of things together, whether its watching film or hanging out away from the field,” McNair said. “It’s truly like a brotherhood on this team, and we just trust each other, and that’s what’s going to carry us pretty far. I love my boys.”
