BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Spanish River Community High School Sharks are trying some new tactics to bring discipline to the football team, along with a positive school culture.
Last season, the team had some struggles, and that's why second-year head coach Ian Headley said he really wanted to instill discipline in his players. And right now, it's working.
They are the big men on campus, now attracting new attention in Shark Country.
"Look good, play good," said Edinco Stephens, a senior center for the Spanish River football team.
Look good, play good. Stephens takes it seriously, down to his toes.
"When we found out we were gonna dress up every Wednesday, I just had to put them on," Stephens said.
"I feel a lot more confident and I just feel like I'm a lot more professional, and my teachers view me that way, too," offensive tackle Jack Taylor said.
Dressing up every week is just one way Headley is instilling a new sense of discipline that he said his players needed.
"Them starting practice before the coaches get out there, all little things — making sure we are keeping the campus clean, saying the right things, doing the right thing," Headley said.
The players eat lunch together and have study hall together. These little things all work to create a more cohesive school of sharks.
"Compared to last season, I feel like we came together more as a team and we're a lot more confident this year," player Ben Lamas said.
"It feels different when you are all one collective that wants one thing, and it's like a family," Stephens added.
Headley said that a renewed sense of unity didn't come without hard work on the gridiron.
"We start our workouts at 5:30 in the morning and they are super, super intense," Headley said. "Our summer training was super intense. So we were the only people here, so we could only lean on each other and depend on each other. So I think that's where that came from."
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So as these Sharks look to take a bite out of the competition this season, they know there's a whole team swimming beside them.
"I come to school and everyone is like, 'Why are you so dressed up?' But we're like, 'We're trying to get to districts.' We are going to get to districts. We're going to win," Lamas said.
"Knowing I left it all on the field with a group of people who cared about me," Stephens said.
So while the guys do their dress-up days on Wednesdays, on game day they will be all decked out in their jerseys.
Spanish River defeated Lake Worth Community High School 33-13 on Thursday.
