PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — There’s been something brewing in Dade City since last November.

The Pasco High School football team is off to a record start. 

They went undefeated for the first six weeks of the season, something they haven’t done since 2012. 

“What we’ve been doing works, alright. So we are just gonna do what we do,” Head coach Alphonso Freeney told his guys at practice. 

Freeney's resume includes former Jacksonville State University football player and most recently, former offensive line coach on the other side of the county, at Mitchell High School.

“I wanted a challenge," he told Guillaume. "You know, the last thing I said to my kids at Mitchell, it was, you know, I always told them to go and be great. Like I challenged him to go be great. I said, Guys, now it's my turn. Like I want to go and do something and challenge myself to be great.”

He took on the position to coach a team that went winless in 2021 and decided to rebuild.

He said, “I met the kids and as soon as I met the kids, I was like, okay, we can do something here.”

The Pirates have won more games in 6 weeks than they did all of last season, but he’ll be quick to tell you, he is not the reason for The Pirates making this turnaround, they are. 

“I think the secret is them being coachable,” Coach Freeney said.

Senior running back Tayshaun Balmir added, “When I first met he came like he came ready he showed me that like he was about his business on the field.”

Coach Freeney has proven to be all about his business.

For many of these kids, this is their last opportunity to leave their mark on The Pirates program, this year couldn’t mean more to them.

Balmir said, “I feel like it's a blessing just because I got the chance to actually get back on the field. I haven't played for two years, and I thought I wasn't gonna play again. So just happy to actually be out here and play again.”

Senior defensive end Anthony Pratt said, "they set the standard high. They expect us all to be high and we reached that expectation.”

"My proudest moment," Coach Freeney said, "my principal came to me and she said, Coach, I just want to let you know things are getting better."

Developing who the guys are on the field is only part of this rebuilding program. Coach Freeney is also encouraging them to play at the college level, but college is not just about the game, it’s about the grades first and that is his main focus. He said the goal now is not just to have the highest individual GPA but the highest team GPA on campus.