Lake Nona has always had good quarterbacks to carry out the passing game prescribed by head coach Anthony Paradiso.
The Lions have also always had top-notch receivers. Add Carson Pielock to that list.
The senior-to-be made himself a factor Thursday night as the Lions used a mixture of offensive schemes and defeated host Timber Creek 31-21 in a high school spring football game.
Pielock caught several passes in the “Air Diso attack”, his biggest a 40-yard gainer on a pass from Dr. Phillips transfer Khari Rennie. That set up a short, third-quarter touchdown pass to Aden Seipler that turned out to be the game-winner.
Lake Nona’s big defensive end Zane Durant, a coveted 4-star college prospect, made his mark, as well, causing a fumble with a big hit. Jeremy Miller recovered the ball and returned it about 20 yards. Durant then came back in on goal-line offense and caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Rennie.
Pielock has dealt with some minor injuries in the past, so he was never really able to hit his stride. This season, however, he’s hoping for more output and said he’s ready to make a big year out of his last one at Lake Nona.
“Feels good to be out here. Feels good to be back. I had a few injuries that set me back and I was in and out,” Pielock said. “I’m back at 100% and it feels good to be back on top of my game.
“I’m excited. It’s a big next step but I’m ready for it. And I’m ready to do anything I have to do to get there.”
Pielock has no scholarship offers, but he’s hoping a breakout senior season will get him on the radar.
“It’s different, but I think if I do everything the right way, it’s definitely possible for me to be able to really exceed and show what I have … get myself out there,” Pielock said.
Lake Nona is still looking for which quarterback will be its main guy, but Pielock said it doesn’t matter if it’s Rennie or Keaghan Black throwing him the ball.
“They both throw it pretty similarly, so it’s easy transitioning from each of them,” Pielock said.
Pielock has great hands, is not bothered by going across the middle in traffic, and prides himself on his route running.
“Yeah I think my route running is definitely my strongest suit,” Pielock said. “My brother, Michael Barulich , he went to Florida State as a walk-on and he’s really taught me a lot. His knowledge is really more than I could ever ask for.”
Pielock did not score, but he said of the 40-yard reception, “Man, that should have been a touchdown.”
Paradiso was pleased with what he saw out of Pielock and the rest of his squad.
“Yeah, he’s a three-year varsity player and he’s been working hard and hopefully he carries this through the offseason and into the fall,” Paradiso said. “I thought both quarterbacks played well, and even [Allessandro] Corsa, the third kid we put in played well, threw the ball a couple of times and ran it well. Across the board, they all played good. We’re just trying to figure out what we’ve got.”
On the first series of the game, it looked as if Timber Creek might run away with this one, as the Wolves marched right down the field to score on a 27-yard pass play from quarterback Tanner Stevens to receiver Ryan Campbell, who is one of the best in Central Florida despite standing only 5-foot-71/2 and weighing just 160 pounds. He’s very fast and has great hips as he shifts around down the field.
Campbell seven catches on seven targets for 76 yards and a score on passes from Stevens, who completed 13 of his 16 pass attempts for 149 yards and two TDs.
Timber Creek coach Jim Buckridge was pleased with his team overall performance.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll be good up front,” Buckridge said. “On offense for us, the only people (returning) are Campbell, the two quarterbacks, [RB, Jonathan] Cabral and the two linemen [T.J. Shanahan and Michael Garcia]. So we replace a lot. And on defense, we only have one coming back who started all the time and that’s Jonah [Migliore].
“We had to replace a lot of kids and we saw some good things. We also knew Diso was going to throw the ball all over the place with that catch and pitch, catch and pitch. It’s hard to stop when you’re young. But I’m happy with what we did. It’s a spring game.”
Game notes:
Timber Creek running back Jonathan Carbal left the game early with an injured left shoulder, although he should have plenty of time to recover during the summer.
The Wolves will have another running back available in the fall with rising senior Donald Chester transferring over from Colonial High.
Lake Nona running backs Kurtis Kimmons and Danny Cevallos showed plenty of toughness and combined for more than 100 yards rushing. Kimmons scored on a short touchdown for Nona’s first score.
Lake Nona receiver Devin Johnson scored on a 5-yard pass from Black.
Campbell had more than 100 yards receiving and showed he can get open regardless of the type of pass pattern.
Lake Nona LB Madux Borelli recovered a fumble.
Timber Creek LB Jonah Migliore had an interception and returned it 53 yards, but the Wolves failed to score on their ensuing drive.
Lake Nona kicker Jack Walker hit a 44-yard field goal to cap the scoring.
Timber Creek running back Nathaniel Hull scored on a 33-yard run.
Timber Creek DL Dennis Proulx intercepted a pass off a deflected ball.
Lake Nona’s quarterback usually wears No. 8 after winning the job, but Paradiso did not award the number last season with his quarterbacks being too inconsistent. This year will be another year in which Paradiso will have to decide who, if anyone, gets to wear the coveted 8 jersey.
This story was first published at OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays can be reached by email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.
