According to the record books, Freedom High School finished with a 3-7 record last year.
But head coach Tom Donohoe doesn’t see it that way.
“The program was 8-8,” said Donohoe, now entering his third season at the helm. “That’s the way we look at it, because we coach varsity and JV. Our goal is to improve as a program.”
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Including junior varsity records, instead of back-to-back 3-7 campaigns, Freedom improved from 6-10 to 8-8 over the previous year. At least from the coach’s perspective.
Rebuilding from the ground up — the varsity team hasn’t had a winning season since 2009 — means looking at improving all aspects of the Patriots’ football program. Installing discipline, structure and stability at all levels of play is important, Donohoe explained.
Practices are more organized, and the program as a whole has a clear understanding of what they’re trying to do. The same coaches lead both teams, so the transition from junior varsity to varsity should be a smooth one for players as they advance in the system.
While that focus didn’t translate into more wins over the previous season for the Patriots, there were bright spots and areas of improvement. Freedom was involved in a number of close games, including two road losses by a total of 10 points to Strawberry Crest and district foe Steinbrenner.
Freedom plays both of those teams at home this year, and Donohoe is looking forward to seeing year-to-year improvement as they tackle familiar opponents throughout the schedule.
The Patriots’ defense also was a bright spot in 2013, providing solid play and keeping the team in many games. Eight starters are returning from last year, which provides stability at what already was a strong point for the team.
Defensive backs and linebackers should be particularly effective this season, Donohoe said.
The defense understands that they’ll be expected to continue their solid play and help the team turn the corner in 2014.
“It’s going to be on us to step up and score points defensively,” said linebacker Lee Carabali.
The team has been hitting the weight room over the summer, and is now stronger as a result. He’s even seen improvement in the offense as the defense faces them in practice.
That improvement would be welcome in 2014. While the defense was doing their part to help the team win last year, the other side of the ball wasn’t as effective.
“Our offense was sputtering,” Donohoe admitted. The Patriots only reached the 20-point mark once all last year, and failed to score 10 points four times.
But Freedom closed the year with two straight wins, including a 33-13 win over Wiregrass Ranch in their home finale.
The team is returning six starters, has talented weapons at skill positions and had strong performances in seven-on-seven competition over the summer, Donohue said. A new offensive coordinator should provide fresh perspectives as well, giving the coach plenty of optimism for the coming season.
“It’s definitely going to be a better year in terms of offensive productivity,” Donohoe said. “No doubt about it.”
The attitude change has made an impact on experienced players like defensive back Aaron Cox.
“A lot of people, since I was a freshman, were playing around and not really disciplined,” Cox said. “But now that we have better coaches, they’ve been working with us and we’ve been working real hard.”
The players have come together and bought into the system, he said.
With so many returning starters, the Patriots are feeling good about improving their fortunes in 2014. But Donohoe also is excited to see how newer players perform.
He expects athletes who played junior varsity to step up and contribute immediately. They should be comfortable with the system and ready to perform, which Donohoe hopes will lead to some better numbers for the varsity squad.
“A lot of these guys played with us for the last couple of years,” he said. “They’re a product of what we’ve been doing, and they know the expectations. It should be their time to shine.
“We feel like we’re finally getting to that point where we should be successful a little bit more in varsity now, too.”
Freedom Patriots
LAST YEAR: 3-7
1-4 in the district
fifth place in Class 7A-District 7
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Johnny Rodicio, slot back
Lee Carabali, linebacker
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sayff Saed, wide receiver, quarterback
“He can do a number of different things. He has a lot of talent and can go into a lot of different positions.” — Coach Tom Donohoe
Patriots 2014 Schedule
8/29 — at King
9/5 — Middleton
9/12 — at Wharton
9/19 — at Gaither
9/26 — Strawberry Crest
10/2 — at Sickles
10/17 — Tampa Bay Tech
10/24 — Steinbrenner
10/31 — at Wiregrass Ranch
11/7 — Riverview
Published September 3, 2014
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