Bay returning majority of starters this spring

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – After a rebuilding 2023 season, the Bay High football team is excited to return the majority of its maturing starting lineup this spring.

In the first season (2022) under head coach, Jeremy Brown, the Tornadoes finished 8-3 and reached the playoffs with a group of senior-heavy group.

This past fall, Bay was one of the younger teams in the Panhandle, finishing 4-6 and missing the postseason.

This spring, the Tornadoes are looking forward to a rising senior class of around 14-16 and a rising junior class of around 25-30.

Coach Brown said he was blessed to step into a talented senior class in his first year but it felt this past season was more like a true fresh start.

“I think we started seven sophomores and a freshman on offense and defense last year,” Brown said. “And that’s hard to do with the type of schedule we played last year and we’ll play again this year. So we’re just excited to have some guys coming back and have some experience. And really this spring, we’re just looking to see how the leadership transpires between all these guys that are returning. Will they step up and lead?”

The Tornadoes are returning weapons all over the field on offense and bringing in a couple of key transfers to bolster their depth but coach Brown said the unit he’s most excited to see grow is his unit in the trenches.

“I think the one position group that we’re probably the most excited about in just the whole year of experience and growth is on the offensive line,” Brown said. “You know, we’re returning all those guys so, we’re pretty excited about that.”

Bay will host a Red vs. White team scrimmage on Thursday, May 9, and wrap up their spring season with a scrimmage against Tate High School on Thursday, May 16.

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