Even though the varsity football season at St. Ed’s officially ended over two months ago, the off-season has been full of stories of interest.
No doubt about football being a year-round endeavor for Head Coach Bill Motta. He conducted a Victory Kids Mind-Body-Soul Performance Camp at the Gifford Youth Activity Center just before Christmas. Seven of his Pirate players were among the 70 youngsters in attendance.
Motta can also be seen around campus making sure his players know where to find the weight room. After all, spring practice is just around the corner and voluntary training is strongly encouraged.
Motta cautions about an instant outbreak of déjà vu when St. Ed’s rejoins the Sunshine State Athletic Conference in 2015. The Pirates were members of that conference for one year and certainly made the most of it. They went 11-0 and claimed the SSAC Championship in 2010.
“The idea of joining the SSAC was really attractive to us,” Motta said. “Over the past several years we’ve had difficulty scheduling district games in (FHSAA) Class 2A, especially locally. We’ve had cancelations every year, some at the last minute. There was a lot of disparity between the teams at the top and bottom of our schedule.
“The perception of some that the SSAC is a weak sister is incorrect. We will have better parity and many more competitive games during the course of the regular season. We are actually excited about this move. We think it will be a much more positive experience for the boys and for our football program. It’s just a better fit overall in terms of scheduling, demographics, and everything.”
Brian Carter, arguably the best player on the field for St. Ed’s despite an injury-plagued 2014 season, was recently named to the Class 2A All-State second team on defense. The sack-producing defensive end was also honored with selection to the All-Area first team and designation as All-District Player of the Year.
“Brian is definitely a physical presence out there,” Motta said. “He was always one of the most athletic guys on the field regardless of the team we were up against. He’s incredibly talented athletically, but that’s not all there is to it.
“His growth and development as a leader and as a human being are the most important things for us. He is maximizing his talent, and that’s the type of thing you can’t coach. He loves the game of football and is a high character guy on the field. He plays with class and should be able to step into some big shoes next season and put it all together.”
Carter returns in the fall for his senior year, but another standout from 2014 has pulled his Pirate jersey over his shoulder pads for the last time. Nevertheless, Ian Leveton has one more high school game to go. He will suit up for the Treasure Coast squad when it faces off against the Space Coast in the Florida East Coast All-Star game for seniors in Cocoa on Jan. 23.
“Ian deserves to be an All-Star,” Motta told us. “He’s been a rock-solid guy for us. He made every practice and played every game. He’s very smart and understands the game. What he lacks in over-the-top skills he makes up for with desire and toughness.
“He’s a good guy, not selfish at all. He did whatever we asked him to do. He played just about every position for us on both sides of the ball. He fit in everywhere. Even though he’s probably not a Division 1 recruit, one thing I know is that he has Division 1 heart.”
During his five years at St. Ed’s, Motta has seen a growing list of productive players leave before graduation. This past season saw two of his former high-profile athletes make the All Area team for other schools. One even went on to second team All-State status. That can be a touchy subject indeed, but Motta was not reluctant to share his thoughts.
“There are way more important things in the world than being bitter because a boy decides that for whatever reason he’s better off somewhere else. They were all good kids and I loved coaching them. I root for every one of them to be successful.
I’m not going to go out and neglect what we have. Some people say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Could we have done better with this guy, or that guy? Maybe, and maybe not. I certainly don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about what might have been, instead of what we really accomplished with the boys we had.”
The update on his son Zeke is guarded after he spent the entire 2014 season on the Atlanta Falcons injured reserve list recovering from a fractured C1 vertebra.
“He’s on their offseason roster (in the physically unable to perform category), but expected to report to minicamp in March if he’s released medically. The final evaluation will come soon. Obviously his risk for injury is going to be a little higher. Zeke will make a decision that will best for him.
“He loves life and can do a lot of things, but he certainly wants to play football. We will embrace whatever cards are dealt to him.”
