![JV boys soccer goalie sophomore Bear Brummett does a goal kick. Normally, Brummett plays defense, but when starting goalie sophomore Kurt Schratweiser missed a match due to illness, Brummett was thrust into the role. “[Brummett] did a great job, especially considering he hadn’t played the position in so long,” Head Coach Casey McDonough said.](https://spschronicle.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image2-1200x800.jpg)
At a small school like Shorecrest, high schoolers are often not enough to field varsity sports teams. Upper School students make up most varsity rosters, yet they often share the field with middle schoolers. For example, seven middle schoolers have appeared in a varsity baseball game this season. In fact, the team had to cancel its games when the eighth graders were gone for their annual trip to Washington D.C.
One such athlete, eighth grader Asher F., scored a mark of 10.14 meters in shot put at the St. Pete Middle School Championship. With this mark, he qualified for the Pinellas County Championships meet on March 9, 2026.
There, he threw 10.81 meters, which placed him in sixth place out of 25. Additionally, eighth grader Devon W. scored his team 11 points at the meet, placing third in high jump and fourth in the 100 meter hurdles. This led to a 4th place finish for the boys in the meet.
Upper School Health Teacher and longtime softball and boys basketball coach Jonathan Tallon is familiar with the often shocking levels that middle school student-athletes can reach.
“I coached someone who was then going to be a future NFL player, and it showed from him scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl. I had him for one year in basketball, and it was very obvious from an athleticism standpoint — he was heads and shoulders above the other athletes,” Tallon said.
Tallon believes the biggest hurdle of transitioning from middle school to varsity sports is physicality.
“I will say the physicality is a huge jump from eighth to ninth grade. It’s a big deal because even if you were playing U16, all of a sudden you’re playing against 18-year-olds, sometimes pushing 19-year-olds, people that are ready to graduate. So the gap is huge,” Tallon said.
Asher F. believes his drive has pushed him to excel as much as older athletes.
Head boys lacrosse coach Jonathan Laneau believes the middle school athletes competing on his team, which has only existed at Shorecrest for two years, are key.
“It is actually really important that we have our five middle schoolers on the team. Shorecrest is a small school relative to other schools in the area, so it is really hard to even field a lacrosse team in general,” Laneau said. “Any extra guys just makes practices and games simply better — you can get more reps and challenge yourselves more in practice. Those five guys in particular are such a needed piece to this roster.”
Asher F. believes if any middle schooler has the right mentality, their effect on a varsity team could be beneficial beyond their years.
“It depends on the mindset they have,” he said. “I feel like [if] you’re in the moment and you’re just there to compete and not slack off, anybody can do it. To put it more simply, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”
