Work ethic from classroom to the field fuel Westminster Christian’s undefeated run

Like a proud parent, Westminster Christian’s coach Ed Holly jogs back to the reporters after his players are done talking.

“Did they look you in the eye?” Yes. “Did they shake your hand?” Yes. “Great, because that’s how they can get a job,” he said. “If anything, I want you to know that they are the classiest guys.”

His players are well-behaved and also one of the big surprises of the Class 3A rankings of high school football. In his second year, Holly has turned the Warriors around from a .500 team (4-4 in his first year) into a contender. They are 9-0 and have outscored opponents 343-63.

Although Holly seems fairly satisfied with his team’s performance this year, he does not want it to stop there: “if we win each one of our last games, we’ll be in Orlando, at State Championships, and in the right company.”

THE DEVOTED CROP

The Warriors do not have any major college recruit this year, or an evident spark from the freshman ranks. Instead, they are all a dedicated bunch. It is the work ethic of the collective that is often credited for such a jump in the ranks.

“We’ve established a culture where the guys are accountable to each other on and off the field,” said Holly, towering over the field as he supervises warm-ups.

With such a reduced student body, Westminster’s players often spend plenty of time with each other in school, practice, travel or prayer.

“They have to show up on time to their classes, sit in the front row, turn in their homework, then it’s hard for them to let each other down,” he said.

Perhaps because of these disciplinarian approach, defense is the most improved part of this version of the Warriors. Led by senior linebackers Tristan Roca and Darian Medran, Westminster Christian has only giving up 26 points in eight games this season.

“The coaches started getting harder on us, in practice and in the weight room, so we’ve come together as a team,” Roca said.

Medran, who started doubling as a center this year, credits the physicality and technique learned in practices that often go beyond two-and-a-half hours. (Withing that range, Holly has every activity perfectly timed, so as to not exceed the 7 minutes of the youth’s attention span).

“Last year, we were 4-4, which was not great, but not bad either because we were still learning,” he said. “You have to understand the process and not get too discouraged because rough times turn out well if you trust it.”

On top of the hard-earned lessons, recent recruits added to the Warriors’ pool of talent behind this year’s results.

All about effort

A short wide receiver, Caesar Mackey arrived from Port Reef a year ago, and took a while to get used to the rigorous schedule. For him, it is a simple as that: “give 100% effort, no slacking.”

They finish the regular season Friday against Somerset Academy. Regional playoffs will follow. But, in an attempt not to get ahead of himself, Holly does not go too far into the future. “We want to compete.”