UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Bullock is back and hungry for more

PUNTA GORDA — The return of Seven Bullock has been nothing short of a godsend for the Charlotte High football team.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound, do-it-all senior has been a playmaker in all three phases of the game. He has been a top receiving threat, a dynamic kick returner and one of the best defensive backs for a Tarpons team that has opened this season 2-0.

“It was a blessing when he came back,” Charlotte head coach Cory Mentzer said of Bullock, who is one of just two seniors who start on offense. “He was here my first spring of being a head coach. When he transferred, it was a hit to the offense.

“I’m thankful that he and his dad decided to come back, and he’s made an immediate impact.”

Bullock was born to religious parents who named him after the biblical representation of completion and perfection, so it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that he transferred to Evangelical Christian School in search of a more faith-based education after his freshman year.

But that didn’t make his loss any easier to manage for the Tarpons, who struggled to a 6-14 record in the two years after he left.

Seven the Sentinel

Bullock was one of Charlotte’s leading receivers as a freshman, but posted just 12 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown as the Tarpons rarely threw the ball.

Second-year coach Wade Taylor stepped down following that season and Bullock took the opportunity to depart for Fort Myers.

But the move to Evangelical Christian was about more than football.

“Obviously, you can tell by his name, faith is a big deal for us,” said Kevin Bullock, Seven’s father and the current wide receivers coach at Charlotte. “I was trying to impress upon Seven to build character and build those intangibles that would separate him if he wants to be a professional athlete.”

The move proved to be a smart one for Bullock.

“Charlotte is a great school, but I wanted to see if I could get him in a little bit better situation, and it worked out,” Kevin Bullock said. “He had some great years. He learned about God, did community projects, all that kind of stuff.”

Evangelical Christian went 8-1 in Bullock’s first season as he hauled in 24 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns with 16 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery on defense.

The Sentinels took a slight step back last season as they went 6-5, but Bullock exploded as a playmaker.

He finished his junior season with 42 receptions for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense with 17 tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble on defense — garnering him collegiate attention that earned him a commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire.

However, the nagging feeling of leaving behind some unfinished business in Punta Gorda never left Bullock’s mind.

“After last year, I knew I wanted to come back,” he said. “I missed playing in the Fish Bowl. I love it here.”

Back where it began

It was clear from Bullock’s first game back that he would be a difference-maker for this year’s Charlotte team.

Though the Tarpons lost their spring game to Barron Collier, 48-41, Bullock recorded four touchdowns, two pass breakups and an interception.

“When I got here, everyone kind of just automatically looked up to me,” said Bullock, who is a member of the team’s leadership group, ‘The Brick Squad.’ “They knew who I was and what I was capable of doing. I showed them respect and they showed it back to me. I’ve fit right in as one of the guys.”

The best example of Bullock’s ability to impact the game came in a Week 2 matchup against North Port in which Charlotte entered halftime clinging to a 7-0 lead.

Bullock gave the Tarpons all they needed to pull away — book-ending the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown and a 47-yard receiving touchdown on the way to a 31-0 win.

But Bullock and the Tarpons can’t get too far ahead of themselves.

Charlotte lost in blowout fashion to its rivals — Fort Myers and Port Charlotte — last season and has both looming on the schedule later this season.

And there remains the task of winning the district again and excising the memory of last season’s 38-0 regional quarterfinal loss to Manatee with a better playoff performance.

“I definitely want to win a regional championship,” Bullock said. “That’s something I haven’t done in high school yet.”