JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The NFL is back, college football is back, and now high school football is back.
The First Coast is home to some of the most legendary football programs, including the Trinity Christian Conquerors. Head Coach Verlon Dorminey is in his 34th year leading the Conquerors. The school has won nine state football titles, with the most recent in 2021.
The Conquerors graduated dozens of seniors last year and have only eight seniors this season. There are many positions to fill, especially at quarterback after the graduation of star QB Colin Hurley. The Conquerors may need to play catch-up this season.
"Once they get on the field and the lights come on and they have to do what a senior does, they're going to make mistakes, but hopefully we can coach them through that and just keep getting better and better each week and hopefully make the playoffs again," said Dorminey.
The young team said they stepped up and followed the steps of the upperclassmen, like Lenox Hires, a tight end for the team.
"We've been going three days a week after school until spring, then five days a week in spring, and four days a week over the summer. We've just been at it continuously trying to get better. Even though we're young, we're still trying to do the same thing everybody has done before us," said Lenox Hires, a tight end and senior for the Conquerors.
Their first game is at Hawthorne on August 25 at 7 p.m. for the kickoff classic.