There has been a proud history of running backs at Nature Coast High School in Brooksville. Over the years the sharks have seen running back royalty donning the number 4 in their navy and royal blue.

Recent backs include Tevin Drake and Deshawn Smith. But one of the most well known Sharks is current 49er running back Matt Breida; he is currently tied for first in the NFL with 274 rushing yards with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The latest, greatest running back at Nature Coast is Mike Weston. But he isn’t wearing number 4 like the others. But make no mistake, Weston knows the burden he carries with each touch of the ball.

“It is kind of lot on me,” said Weston. “You have to take after what they have all done. You have to live up to their expectations. I guess you can say it is good and bad. But I love both of them. I like having the pressure on me.”

Weston is building his own legacy – hence the number two on the jersey. No matter the number…the tradition of Nature Coast running backs continues: “I fit in with them.”

“Mike has the ability to be as good, if not better, than all of them,” said Nature Coast head football coach Cory Johns. “Just because of the way that he is in the classroom, in the community, and the way he is with people.”

Cory Johns has coached NFL running backs like Ridge Community alums Mike James and Karlos Williams. James played at Miami before the Bucs took him in the 2013 NFL Draft. Williams went to FSU and then to the Bills in 2015. Johns says Weston is high on his list.

“Running back wise, from feet, to hands, playbook ability… I think he is the best that I have coached.”

But if Weston cannot follow in the footstep of past Nature Coast greats, he has a back up plan. Weston has a 3.5 GPA and could easily follow another tradition – becoming a registered nurse like his mother – the person he wants to succeed for the most. 

“She’s the one who has been with me for these 17 years,” said Weston with a smile. “She has gotten me through most of this stuff.”

Right now the focus is college and the NFL…as Mike Weston dares to dream thanks to the tradition of running backs at Nature Coast high.