After ending last season 4-6, Strawberry Crest’s head coach Phillip Prior is proud of how far he’s seen the team come since being hired in 2019.
Prior was hired by the Chargers following former head coach Ron Hawn’s retirement that summer, and he already had experience rebuilding programs. Having coached at Poinciana and seeing what it was like to look for the high points within tough losses, Prior’s perspective was a great fit for Strawberry Crest.
The Chargers went 1-8 in 2020, but it was only up from there.
“We believe that we were a better football team [last season] than our record indicated,” Prior says.
Looking objectively at the 2023 season, Prior believes that the season could’ve looked a lot different given the absence of just a few of what he calls “self-inflicted mistakes.” With several close matchups behind them, 2024 is an opportunity for the Chargers to sit on the other side of the table with a little bit more discipline than their opponents.
On the offensive side of the ball, Prior has identified a major opportunity area for the team – reducing turnovers. The defensive side looked a little bit different in 2023, though, with four brand-new starters. This time around, they’ll be a little bit more seasoned.
“On the defensive side of the ball, we had some youth, especially in our secondary,” Prior reflected, “but we’re bringing three out of four of those guys back, and we’re really excited about what they’re going to be able to do this year.”
With more experience under their belts, Prior is excited about a defensive unit that could potentially be a force to be reckoned with.
There was a lot of good to the 2023 season, though. Prior says the Chargers won the games that they were supposed to win, which is an important accomplishment. Having a team that was competitive and stayed in the game until the end of the fourth quarter was important to him, too.
“We’ve gotten our program to a place where, week in and week out, we believe that we can win every game,” Prior says, “so that, in and of itself, is exciting for us.”
Although a lot of familiar faces will be seen throughout the season, one key piece of the Chargers’ team graduated – running back Devin Blunt.
“A huge part of what we’re going to have to fill at the running back position is [Devin’s] production,” Prior says.
Prior also acknowledges that the Chargers lost some important parts of their offensive line. Despite being down three multi-year offensive starters, Prior is optimistic and excited about the younger players who will step up to fill those roles.
One familiar face who can be expected to return to the quarterback position after overcoming multiple injuries is Zy Floyd. Prior says the program will depend on Floyd as a great offensive leader.
Floyd was a staple at the quarterback position last season after transferring from Riverview High School. After graduating 20 seniors in 2022, the Chargers were looking for stability. They found that in Floyd, who will only be more developed and mature as a player and team leader after spending a season at Strawberry Crest.
Also returning is Hunter Hall, who ranked third last year in the district for interceptions, while Jose Aponte and Brice Schmidt will also be consistently relied upon, Prior says.
Prior is also very excited to see what the season will bring for Thimothee Woods, who finished at No. 3 in the district for average kickoff return yards and No. 1 in total return yards last season.
And Prior also believes that this may be a breakout season for two of the younger pieces of the team – Brice Robinson and Zayveon Springfield.
“Both of those guys are young, but they’re going to be impactful players for us,” Prior says.
Prior and the entire Strawberry Crest program is looking forward to facing off with Plant City High School this year.
“Two years ago we beat them; last year they beat us – we’re looking forward to that matchup,” Prior says. “We know that they’re going to be a good football team this year, so we’re really going to have to be ready for that game.”
Prior shares that the program has added some staff and now has what he calls “a good mix” of coaches who are familiar with the program and coaches who have a fresh perspective.
The Chargers also have some notable new opponents to look forward to meeting this season, which is exciting for both the coaching staff and the team. But, through it all, Prior emphasizes that it’s important to take things one game at a time.
“We’re not really trying to get our kids worried about who we’re playing,” Prior says, “[but to] just control the things that we get to control and play our style of football.”
Prior’s number one goal is for the team to be competitive.
“It wasn’t long ago that teams would count Strawberry Crest as a win,” Prior says, “but we’re going to get everybody’s best football coming in because they know what our team is capable of doing.”
No matter what this season may hold for the Chargers, Prior will continue to emphasize to his team to do the best at what they can control and take everything one day at a time. Intangible goals like this will allow the team to reach their tangible goals.
Strawberry Crest’s first opponent of the season will be East Bay, with the Chargers kicking off their 2024 schedule in Gibsonton on August 23.
SCHEDULE
Note: All games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Games are broadcast live online at
NFHSNetwork.com.
08/23/24: @ East Bay
08/30/24: @ Middleton
09/06/24: vs Brandon
09/13/24: vs Alonso
09/20/24: @ Robinson
09/27/24: Newsome
10/10/24: vs Plant City
10/18/24: @ Sumner
10/25/24: vs Blake
11/01/24: vs Bloomingdale
THE DETAILS
Location: 4691 Gallagher Road, Dover
Established: 2009
Head Coach: Phillip Prior (fifth season)
2023 record: 4-6 (0-3 district)
ROSTER
1 Zy Floyd 12 QB
2 Jean Henry 12 WR
3 Timmy Woods 12 WR
4 Zayveon Springfield 11 LB/RB
5 Jose Aponte 11 WR/DB
6 Zion Weems 9 RB
7 Sevin Bagnato 11 DB
8 Hunter Hall 11 WR/DB
9 Braden Flanders 12 DB
10 Brice Schmidt 12 DB
11 Jake Curtin 12 LB
12 Brandon Tacket 11 WR
13 Trey Revoy 12 K
14 Jayson Lewis 10 WR
15 Nolan Catlin 10 LB
16 John Baxter 12 DB
17 Joe Borchard 10 QB
18 Cam Crowe 12 DB
19 Matt Ibarra 12 DB
20 Josh Hernandez 11 LB
21 Bama Spicer 10 LB
22 Brice Robinson 10 LB
23 Joey Taylor 11 DB
24 Angelo Rametta 12 DB
25 Troy Eskew 12 TE/DL
26 Luis Lopez 10 DB
27 Devin Simeral 10 WR
29 Calvin Francis 12 WR
30 Rowdy Tucker 11 FB
32 Rashaad Addison 11 FB
34 Jared Lopez 12 K
45 Jerah Lahue 10 DL
51 Dylan Mauck 10 DL
52 Micah Elamm 11 OL
53 Jace Eldridge 12 DL
55 Bryson Casselman 11 DL
56 Steven Diaz 11 DL
64 Jose Duenez 11 OL
65 Bryan Gonzalez 12 OL
71 Ivan Briones 10 OL
72 Billy Vaughn 11 OL
74 Kyle Wade 10 OL
77 Cam Eckard 11 OL
80 Haden Rodriguez 11 WR
84 Dayton Nordheim 12 WR
88 Jacob Ogden 11 TE