TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. —  East Lake High is ready for the playoffs.

“Ever since January, we kind of knew what this group had, but no one really noticed, no one on the outside noticed, no one really believed in us,” offensive lineman Austin Huff said.

They proved doubters wrong. At 9-1, the Eagles enter the playoffs with the No. 1 seeding in Class 4-M, District 6.

That is a position the Eagles, especially senior Jake Bechtel, are not taking lightly. 

He’s back on the field after an injury in fall camp derailed his season.

“Every day they go hard for me, I go hard for them, I just love it, I just love being back out here,” Bechtel said.

When the Eagles lost their starting quarterback, it was tough. Linebacker Caleb Coburn had to step in.

Coach Bob Hudson said it took some adjusting.

“It was a transition, hats off to our coaching staff, because Jake got hurt in fall camp, so we had to transition quickly,” Hudson said.

The entire team rose to the challenge.

“When Jake was officially shut down, we were just so old as a team, mature as a team that when Caleb came in, we knew we had to tweak some stuff with their play styles, but at the end of the day, we were mature enough that we knew we were going to listen to our coaches, trust the process and make plays regardless,” Huff said.

After dropping their first game, they won nine straight. Bechtel may have been sidelined, but he was still involved in every game.

“You know, just keep myself going, make sure I’m out here every day, I made sure every day I’m out here, helping my teammates out, helping Caleb out,” Bechtel said.

Being a linebacker, Coburn knew how to read defenses. With the help of Bechtel and the coaching staff, he adjusted quickly.

“It was actually easier than you might think because I know how to read a defense,” Coburn reflected.

He’s helped East Lake average 43 points a game on offense, while on defense allowing an average of 21. And now, the Eagles have two talented quarterbacks in the mix.

Their offense is multidimensional.

Senior Luke Yoder, the son of former Tampa Bay Buc Todd Yoder, has rushed for over 1,200 yards with 20 total touchdowns.

“This year we’ve been kind of looked at as underdogs, so I think that’s played a big role into us," Yoder said. "We’ve come together as brothers and just been able to play well together. We’ve had some injuries that hurt us, but we’ve been able to overcome those and just get things done.” 

Hudson is in his 20^th season as East Lake’s head coach. He said the best way to describe this team is tough and resilient. But the players credit their success to him.

“Coach Hudson is a great coach, never been around a coach I’ve respected and wanted to be around more,” Huff said.

The team’s response to adversity has given them confidence they can contend with anyone.