Weeki Wachee takes spring setback, but Hornets stay upbeat for fall

Weeki Wachee left The Rock with a 44-0 spring setback, but the bigger lesson for the Hornets was not the final score. The shutout against Calvary Christian in Clearwater showed how much roster turnover, inexperience and injury have already reshaped a program that is still trying to build on its first winning stretch.

The spring game was played Thursday, May 14, at Calvary Christian High School, and it did not count toward either team’s official record. Even so, it served as a useful measuring stick for Justin Bland’s Hornets, who are entering his third season as head coach after back-to-back breakthrough years. Weeki Wachee went 0-11 before the turnaround, then improved to 2-8, 4-5, 7-3 in 2024 and 7-4 in 2025.

That climb now has to survive a major reset. Richard Hanshaw, the three-year starter at quarterback and the school’s career leader in most passing categories, graduated after throwing for 1,287 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall and signing with Trinity College of Florida. Leelen Wright also moved on after a 2025 season in which he ran for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns on 152 carries before signing with North Park University in Chicago. That left Weeki Wachee without the veteran spine that helped drive the program’s rise.

The quarterback situation became even more difficult when the sophomore expected to start tore an ACL. Freshman Joseph Metz was pushed into the role, forcing Bland to evaluate a young offense against one of the more established programs on the schedule. Calvary Christian, a Florida High School Athletic Association member coached by Ben Sessions on the varsity side, brought size, speed and a physical style that challenged Weeki Wachee from the start.

For Bland and his staff, the useful part of the night came in the response from younger players getting their first meaningful varsity reps. The Hornets are still trying to grow in the trenches and build enough depth to absorb graduation losses without losing their identity. The score in Clearwater was lopsided, but it also gave Weeki Wachee an early look at where the gaps are and what still needs to be fixed before August. For a program that has climbed from 0-11 into the county conversation, that reality check may matter more than a spring win ever could.