In January of 2014, the news broke out that head football coach Matt LePain was moving on to his next chapter of coaching at Dunedin High School after three seasons with the Hurricanes. The school needed a new leader for one of its headline fall sports to stand alongside the great band director James Dykes during the Friday night football games.

The search for a new coach was on across the Southeast and Florida. Coaches from other local schools were rumored to have interest in mentoring the left-behind team. Meanwhile, the upperclassmen of the team became true leaders in the weight room alongside the quarterback-expert assistant coach Dylan Tinsley. It was during this 2014 off-season that an unparalleled brotherhood formed among the team.

In April 2014, the new head coach was announced. Reggie Crume out of St. Louis was the head of the new coaching staff that formed throughout this next month and into the spring season.

The challenge was the rising seniors. These students in particular were freshman when LePain started. These players flourished, grew, and learned in the world of football together. When LePain left, these student athletes had to learn new rules and respect for a new coach they didn’t know.

The adjustment was a process but the end product was a brotherhood and legacy left behind for classes to come.

The 2016-2017 season has had a rough start due to Hurricane Hermine and other cancellations. Even so, Coach Reggie and the team seem to have high expectations going into the season.

“There is no team we can’t compete with. We have to focus and execute our plays to win games,” Coach Reggie said.

The big rival game against East Lake might have been a loss, but it showed good fight for the Hurricanes.

“The game started off slow and we weren’t playing our kind of football. It was the little things biting us in the tail such as penalties, wrong routes and time management,” Coach Reggie said.

Even with this bump in the road, the Hurricanes are back to practice and are working harder than ever.

Things are looking bright for Coach Reggie Crume’s third year with a finish of six wins and four losses for the last season. A storm is brewing in Pinellas County with this team and hopefully, they will pull through.