PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — It's season number two for the Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School Bulldogs football team.
After just one win last season, they are now ready to take a bite out of the competition.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: High School Football
When you see the Bulldogs out on the field, they say don't underestimate the heart and soul of this team.
"I feel like everybody thinks we're an underdog and that we're just some brand new team," quarterback Caleb Butler said. "But we're building. And not a lot of people are seeing the work that we're putting in right now. But this season, they'll see the work we put in."
Butler transferred to Garcia High School this year to a team he said feels like family.
"It feels amazing with my new family. Amazing coaches. Amazing head coach in coach Walker. I couldn't ask for anything better," Butler said.
As head coach Brandon Walker grinds it out with the players during practice, he sees a new surge of energy in his bulldogs for year two, shaking out the unknowns.
"I think it's just maturity and growth," Walker said. "These kids spend a lot of hours together outside of football has really brought us together. We went to team camp this summer at Keiser University. It was huge for us. Just the bonding time."
Walker said creating team culture and traditions are setting them up for success, as the players not only buy in to the sport, but the school as well.
"I love all of them. We've got a great group of kids," Walker said. "They're great men on the football field. Great men off the football field. People this community can be really proud of, and going to represent Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School very well."
Who, at their core, love the thrill of the game.
"I get that chill and goosebumps every time I touch the field or I hear football or when I step on the field. When the lights turn off," Butler said. "It's just become my life."
The Bulldogs said their goal is to be better each week than they were before, and, of course, to have a winning season.
The team won their regular season opener on Thursday, beating Lake Worth Community High School, 49 to 13.
The Bulldogs also won their preseason Kickoff Classic last week against Okeechobee High School. That means the team now has two wins in a row for the first time ever.
