By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
This week, I spoke with Apopka football’s head coach Jeff Rolson to discuss off-season work, the team’s new look, and changes to the program as a whole. Apopka’s spring football game will be against and at Jones High School on Wednesday, April 23.
I first asked Rolson how he felt about the team’s off-season work and preparation since the end of the 2024 season. He told me that they had changed some things in the weight room, such as how they approach weight training, and are focusing on diversifying the program.
“I think the kids have responded well,” Rolson said. “We have some gains here and there, and hopefully, we’ll see a little more explosiveness.”
When we discussed changes to the team’s game plan, including offensive and defensive schemes, he was adamant about having multiple personal groups to handle specific situations.
“We’re going to have multiple personnel groupings,” Rolson said. “So our job this spring is to find out who can challenge on the perimeter of the defense? Who can run by somebody and give us a vertical threat? Who’s going to block on the perimeter? Who can catch the ball and make people miss in space?”
Rolson talked about the offensive scheme last year and how they were three wide or four wide nearly every down. He said that will remain in the offense, but this year, the offense will feature more tight end and half-back-oriented plays. Rolson even told me that Apopka’s famous single wing would be making a comeback so Apopka could run some smash-mouth football.
Rolson’s goal is to have players who excel in various scenarios in different packages so he has options on the offensive and defensive ends.
“But in the fall, I mean, hopefully, we’ll have a single wing tight end and half back, as well as a pro-style single wing tight end and half back so that the guys don’t get tired,” Rolson said. “Most of those guys, the tight ends and half-backs, will come from the defensive line.”
Rolson went on to say they will also be playing many guys on both sides of the ball to see if they can find any hidden talents. Their goal is to not only develop depth but also find a guy who may be a backup but puts everything he has into practice and is transferred to somewhere he can help the team more. Whether that’s on the offensive or defensive end doesn’t matter to Rolson. He wants guys who want to work hard and be Blue Darters.
“So what we’re really going to try to do is play a bunch of guys on both sides of the ball in the spring to try and develop some depth and to find that guy that maybe he’s a backup linebacker, but he could be a dynamic player or a starter somewhere else, you know,” Rolson said.
This year, Rolson emphasizes creating and bringing back the Blue Darter team culture. The overall approach is to create a culture where effort, attitude, and team commitment are more important than individual talent, believing that this approach will ultimately lead to better team performance. Apopka has had a lot of player personnel turnover, as many kids have decided to play elsewhere. This does not bother Rolson at all.
“I would rather have a guy who’s bought in and is going to give you all he’s got, and he’s going to be coachable – than a guy that maybe has a little more talent but is going to do it his own way and at the speed he wants to do it,” Rolson said. “So when people leave, that does not concern me at all. We won a lot of games at Apopka with personnel that might not match up. It’s not an issue. I don’t know, we may be better for it. I’m just going to say that right now.”
Rolson said that restoring that culture shouldn’t be too hard because many Apopka kids are just made that way. His focus is on finding guys who are willing to work hard to earn a starting spot, want to be Blue Darters, and are ready for a challenging year.
“I think the reality is, as you trim your roster down a little bit, you find the guys that want it and are bought in,” Rolson said. “We had kids that could have competed for playing time or a starting spot, but they left. And we lost a couple here, a couple there, good. If that’s what they want to do, that’s what they want to do. But we just want dudes that want to be here. We want being here to mean something to you; we want you to be willing to compete, buy in and accept the challenge of what we’re offering. And you know, if it’s easy, anybody would do it. So, we’re not that.”
Rolson told me that the fall 2025 season schedule is done and ready to be released. They are just waiting to see if West Port will stay in our district. If West Port leaves, the county will have to replace that game with a new opponent. The spring football game against Jones High School will be at Jones on Wednesday, April 23, so mark your calendars to get an early look at the new Apopka football team.
