The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers were one win short of playing for a state championship last year.
As a new football season gets ready to kick off, the Bucs have set their sights on Orlando. Getting there will take a team effort and one player primed to help them do it is Mayan Ahanotu.
The Bucs senior defensive end has an extra bounce in his step, having already committed to the University of Minnesota. With the pressure of picking a college gone, Ahanotu said he can focus on his senior season.
He’s putting the work in the weight room to help showcase his versatility on the line. The Gophers are getting a versatile player and also one who has a special resource he can tap into, a different Buccaneer, his father, former Tampa Bay defensive end Chidi Ahanotu.
“I just remember he played with a lot of passion, a lot of effort and just 100 percent every play," Ahanotu said, "so he teaches me that, ever since I was a little kid, to just play to my full potential and just play every play like it’s my last.
"It’s a great resource definitely because he’s just a great man, he teaches me a lot of lessons, beyond football as well, Just a great person to learn from.”