By Jeff Odom
Ask any player on the Steinbrenner football team which loss they want to have back and each one will say the same game — a 37-7 defeat to district rival Gaither.
The Warriors had high hopes to hoist a Class 7A-District 7 championship last season, but losses to 7A-9 champion Tampa Bay Tech and the runner-up Cowboys squandered their chance at the program’s first playoff berth.
Now, the squad is confident it can take the next step and capture a trophy to put in the school’s trophy case.
“You can just see it in how the guys have played at the (7-on-7) tournaments and stuff,” said halfback Kendall Pearcey. “We have that togetherness about us that is going to propel us far this year. We’re not focused on what kind of team (the opponent) has, we’re just focused on getting where we have to go and not letting anyone get in the way of that.”
Steinbrenner went through its first major change during the offseason, as the only coach in program history, Floyd Graham, resigned to care for family in Alabama. The Warriors didn’t have to look far for its new leader.
Offensive coordinator Andres Perez, who had been with the program since the school opened in 2009, was promoted to coach. He said there wasn’t much to get used to in the new role, aside from the minutes on his cell phone going up.
“It’s the magnitude of phone calls and issues that arise day in and day out, and you kind of go from worrying about just the X’s and O’s to worrying about every kid and every situation,” Perez said. “You try to prevent anything that could possibly go wrong.”
Steinbrenner went 7-3, the program’s first winning season, and finished No. 3 in the final district standings with a much better record than Freedom (2-8), Chamberlain (1-9) and Wiregrass Ranch (0-10). Perez said 7A-7 is much closer than last year both talent wise and playoff potential.
“I’ll tell you that teams like Chamberlain are dangerous,” Perez said. “That was the best 1-9 team I’ve ever seen. They gave us a heck of a game and Freedom is doing good things. They’re competitive with skilled guys, and they’ve got new leadership with (coach Todd Donohoe), and he’s getting those kids to play. Bottom line, this district is going to really even out. … I just hope to be at the top of that.”
The Warriors lost every starting offensive lineman to graduation but do have a number of key returning players, such as defensive back Trey Johnson (three passes defensed, three fumble recoveries) and linebacker Logan McKnight (96 tackles, seven sacks).
The offense brings back most of its top playmakers, such as Pearcey, who ran for a team-high 776 yards on 98 carries and 11 touchdowns in 2011. He also earned All-Laker/All-Lutz News Football Offensive Player of the Year honors.
The backfield also gets a boost from the return of fullback Jake Carroll, who returns after suffering a torn ACL in the loss to Gaither in Week 5. Two-year starting quarterback Curtis Fitch (815 yards, nine touchdowns) is also back, along with leading receiver Jon Marc Carrier (305 yards, three scores).
Last year, the Warriors used the run-heavy wing-t offense, racking up 187.6 rushing yards per game to only 91.7 through the air. The style was based on Graham’s preference controlling the ball. Perez will likely utilize a more pass-happy version of the spread option.
“Coach Graham really took Perez under his wing and showed him the ropes of being a head coach, but one difference is (Perez) likes to throw the ball more, so I’m looking forward to that,” Carrier said.
Fitch agreed with Carrier and said while the team may look young, it has all of the pieces in place to compete for the district crown.
“We know what it takes now, because we’ve been doing this for the last couple seasons,” Fitch said. “I think this summer we really just proved that we want to be the champion.”
Steinbrenner schedule
All games start at 7:30 p.m. Home games played at 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, Lutz.
Kickoff classic Aug. 24 vs. Newsome
Sept. 1 at Sickles
Sept. 7 at East Bay
Sept. 14 vs. Strawberry Crest
Sept. 21 at Freedom*
Sept. 28 Bye
Oct. 5 vs. Gaither*
Oct. 12 vs. Riverview
Oct. 19 at Tampa Bay Tech*
Oct. 26 vs. Wiregrass Ranch*
Nov. 2 vs. Chamberlain*
Nov. 9 at Middleton
*Denotes district contest
2011 Warriors (7-3)
Sickles L 10-0
East Bay W 20-14
Strawberry Crest W 28-0
Freedom W 13-6
Gaither L 37-7
Riverview W 53-0
Tampa Bay Tech L 35-25
Wiregrass Ranch W 56-0
Chamberlain W 34-27
Middleton W 43-0
