INVERNESS, Fla. — The Citrus High School Hurricanes want to finish with a better record than they had last year, bottom line.

That also seems to be the one goal for most teams coming into a new season, but for these ‘Canes, the most important thing for them this year is to play for Antonio.

When the boys are out on the field, it’s a bittersweet moment for all of them

The coaches wear their T-shirts with the number 56 on their backs, remembering a teammate, a player, a friend gone too soon.

“Antonio was a special young man. When he came, his presence alone just did something to these guys. He was a commander-in-chief type guy,” said Head Coach McKinley Franklin.

Antonio was just 16 years old when he collapsed on the football field during practice last September.

“He didn’t let down,” Franklin added. “The day he passed, he was running with my fastest kid on this field, putting in the work.”

Franklin is in 5th year at the helm of this program. This year he’s changing the team’s focus.

“They say that after every trial and tribulation, there’s a triumph and these kids know it and they are holding onto that,” he said.

Running back, Colton McNeely remembers that moment like it was yesterday. 

“At the beginning of last season, no one was like a team, everyone was in their separate ways, but since Tony passed away everyone came together as a brotherhood. It followed into the season,” he said.

The ‘Canes didn’t win their first game last season until mid-October. Two weeks after Tony’s death, they picked up three more after that. 

They are building on that this year.

“All of us knew that if we didn’t try our hardest or work every day as hard as we could, we would not be fulfilling what Antonio wanted and Antonio always wanted to get a state championship for the school and always do his best so we always strive to do our best and do everything for Antonio,” said linebacker Shaun Jonaitis.

Coach Franklin sees the hunger in his guys to do just that.

My athletes have made me evaluate who I am as a person. They had a soft, nice cuddly coach that loved everybody and I realized that I wasn’t doing them any favors,” he said.

Although he is still that person, he won’t be changing just his players, but himself as well, because that’s what Antonio would want.