The high school football season begins in less than three weeks. Leading up to preseason games, the Times will answer 10 Pressing Questions facing Pinellas schools.
By LAURA LEE
Published August 19, 2003
Will IRC's spirits stay high?
Before taking the job as coach at Indian Rocks Christian last spring, Chris Westerfield met the team.
With the Golden Eagles' brief tradition of losing, badly, Westerfield wasn't expecting to be greeted by an eager group actually looking forward to the start of another season.
"It was almost surprising," said Westerfield, IRC's fourth coach in five years.
IRC has only two winning seasons during its 10-year history. The team went 0-10 in its first year in 1993. The Golden Eagles went 0-10 again eight years later in 2001 when, according to Mike Worman, now a senior quarterback, the team's unofficial motto became, "We can only get better." Both of IRC's winning seasons came under Todd St. Louis, who left in 1999 and now is at St. Petersburg High. "I felt for them for the past few years," said defensive coach Tom Oliphant, who was an assistant under St. Louis and returned to the team this year. "It was rough. It was rough to watch, too."
Four-year varsity lineman Grady Denton said after St. Louis left, they didn't know if there would be a team. Few players showed up to the first day of camp, and there was little experience on the field.
As a freshman who had never thrown a football, Denton was told he would be the starting center. The Golden Eagles continued to lose, and the students at school teased the team, even in chapel.
"I was constantly being made fun of at school," Denton said. "At chapel, a guest speaker mentioned that God had blessed the school with a good football team, and the whole school, 2,000 kids, just started laughing at us.
"I think it's a testament to my teammates' character that we toughed it out. We were tired of getting made fun of. No one gave us any respect at all."
Toughing it out means players kept coming back. With each new coach, they showed up to camp ready to learn new systems. Last season, the team gained some confidence by winning three games.
Senior center Lewis Kurtz transferred to IRC from Georgia before last season. During a visit to the school, he was invited to stand on the sideline during the spring game. IRC lost 70-0.
"My heart just sank," said Kurtz, who was coming from a school that won back-to-back state championships. I couldn't believe it."
Kurtz said there was no question if he would go out for the team.
"I've got to play football," Kurtz said.
Oliphant said that's the attitude of all the Golden Eagles. Despite the losing, new coaches and trash-talk from classmates, they still go to camp in the spring and show up in the weight room in the summer. They still go out and play football.
"I really don't think that winning is everything," Oliphant said. "They love the game of football, and they're excited to be there for that reason."
