By: J. Daniel Pearson
Second-year head coach Chris Blanton doesn’t mince words when he talks about the goals for his Celebration High School football team.
When asked how he would define success for 2025 team, he simply said “Win and make it to the playoffs.”
At first glance the goal may seem a little ambitious given Celebration went 3-7 last year and winless in the district. Still, Blanton insists the losing culture of Storm football has started to turn the corner.
Blanton was not named head coach until the middle of spring football in 2024. Working with just a couple of assistants he quickly made Celebration competitive in his first year. Not only did he more than double the win total from the previous two seasons combined, but Celebration was extremely close to actually finishing with a winning record, as three of the losses came by less than one score.
“We were playing a lot of first year starters last year,” Blanton said. “The players bought into our system and never gave up. Most of those guys are back this year and are ready to take it take the next step – which is finding a way to win those close games.”
In order to accomplish that, Blanton has tinkered with the lineup. He moved quarterback Landon Yaw to receiver/running back and installed athlete Dai Dai Blackman at signal caller. “Dai Dai is more suited to the running game we want to have but Landon is too good not to be on the field for us,” the second-year coach noted.
Running back Jayden Rodriguez and wide receiver Sean Nuzzi will be important parts of the Storm offensive attack. Defensively, Celebration has some playmakers at all positions – including defensive backs Evan Couch, Anthony Parris and Triston McNeal; linebackers Matt Murawsky and David Shockley; and defensive lineman Justin Berry.
In addition, Blanton noted that he believes there is a renewed interest among the student body. “We had good numbers out for spring football and had terrific turnouts for our summer workout program,” he says. “We definitely made some strides in our first season and now it is time to move forward. Traditionally Celebration has not had a ton of success in football, but our message from day one has been clear to these athletes – you have an opportunity to change the perception of Storm Football and build your own legacy.”
Celebration Storm
Head Coach: Chris Blanton
Class 7A, District 9
2024 Record: 3-7
8/15 Discovery (Kickoff Classic) 7 p.m.
8/22 at Poinciana 7 p.m.
8/29 at Winter Springs 7 p.m.
9/5 at Lake Region 7 p.m.
9/19 Space Coast 7 p.m.
9/26 East Ridge* 7 p.m.
10/3 Liberty 7 p.m.
10/9 at Olympia* 7 p.m.
10/17 at Harmony 7 p.m.
10/24 at Dr. Phillips* 7 p.m.
10/30 Gateway 7 p.m.
*District Game
