TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — St. John Paul II reached the second round of the playoffs last season, losing to eventual state champion Trinity Christian. This is a team that's looking to build off that, and continue pushing forward as a program.
Four years in, Panther head coach Ed Hill is most excited about the growth of this program. From Ironman football to having enough kids on both sides of the ball to scrimmage, this team has come a long way.
They're not done yet either, at St. JPII enters this season with veteran quarterback Tremaine Hughes. In fact, they lost just five total athletes from last year's team. Coach noting the last two years they've been playing with an almost JV team, this year's squad is obviously another year older, and now, they're ready to capitalize on that.
"Last year, regular season record of 9-2, I think we turned the program around," said Hill. "Now it's just about sustaining what we've done and letting these kids kind of grow. They came in, they believed in the process, and we've done a really good job last year with that process. This year is the year that we try to make our dent in football in Tallahassee."
The Panthers hit the road for their kickoff classic, as they're at South Walton on the 19th. Coach said until then, they'll look to iron out their identity, who they're going to be when they step on the field.
