NEW TAMPA — On a warm Wednesday afternoon on Commerce Park Boulevard in New Tampa, new Freedom football coach Bryce Holliday is barking out instructions, an orange whistle hanging around his neck.
You wouldn’t know there are only 20 players dressed out for this spring practice.
The tempo is intense, and hard-hitting. Holliday is fired up.
“He’s always like this,” one of the players remarks, “but especially on hitting day.”
His rules are simple: Don’t be soft, lazy or scared. Take a hit, deliver a hit.
History suggests these are the good times. A new start. A fresh beginning. But history also tells us it will be hard to keep the good times going. This is Freedom, 2-8 last year, and amongst the toughest jobs in Hillsborough County.
“I know that,” Holliday says, “and it doesn’t deter me at all.”
Holliday carries the same confidence many coaches before him brought to Freedom, though he appears to have a little more of an edge and swagger. Maybe that makes him different.
It’s Holliday versus history.
Ron Perisee broke the school’s 30-game losing streak but resigned after just two seasons. Before him, Chris Short struggled through five seasons of mostly winless football, while Henry Scurry and James Harrell each lasted one season. Floyd Graham, Tchecoy Blount, Marquell Blackwell and Adam Stegeman all lasted two.
Keeping players has been equally difficult. The school has produced several Division I-A players, but most of them finished their high school careers at different places. Big names like Nelson Agholor and Rocco Becht were stars next door at adjoining Liberty Middle School before heading off campus to other schools.
In the 16 seasons since Harrell’s memorable 2009 playoff season, Freedom has cycled through six coaches.
“That means nothing to me,” Holliday says. “There is no challenge that is too large for me.”
Instead, Holliday views the challenge as a blessing.
A former quarterback who played high school football in Miami before starring at Warner Southern and later spending time in Arena Football, Holliday says he was born to coach.
“Honestly, being a head coach was something I’ve known I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” he said. “My dad would even tell you, he knew I would be a coach one day when I used to line up my Hot Wheels as a little kid and make them run football plays.”
When spring practice opened April 27, Holliday said he knew exactly what he was walking into. Several players had already transferred before he arrived, and only a handful return from last season’s roster.
Many of the would-be Patriots are playing football for the first time.
“First impression was, honestly, we’re coaching a bunch of guys how to play football,” Holliday said. “We’re going to coach them up, we’re going to develop them.”
He says he can already see the difference from winter workouts. The Patriots are bigger, and stronger, and faster. It’s a start.
“The guys that left, they were talented guys, but we’re looking for dogs,” he said. “The guys that are here right now are the core guys that have stuck through the transition. We’ve got a really strong group.”
The roster may be thin — 24 players have been out this spring — but Holliday says he has a few gems.
Defensive back Jamareon Thomas, who was unable to play last season after paperwork issues, has impressed Holliday with his instincts and ball skills.
“He can track the ball like some guys that I know playing collegiately,” Holliday said.
Rising senior wide receiver Ethan Etienne, is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound weapon who had 20 catches last year, while tailback Bruce Li has shown flashes this spring. And promising quarterback Taaj Leathers transferred in from Alonso and fills a major need.
Up front, sophomore left tackle Dynym Allison may have the highest ceiling on the roster. At 6-5, 240, Holliday believes Allison has the athleticism to become a high-level recruit.
“I’ve seen him do a single leg box jump on top of eight plates on top of the box with a band around his waist,” the coach said. “He’s just a huge freak of nature.”
Now, Holliday and his staff must teach him the finer points of football, as well as the others who are relatively new to the game.
Winning at Freedom remains a daunting task. The roster is perpetually small and overmatched. Players leave. Coaches follow. The program has spent years near the bottom of the county standings.
But always, come spring, there is hope.
“Like I tell my team every day, our goal is to get out of this tier,” he said. “We’re in better shape, were stronger, were faster. They’re having fun. They’re flying around. And this team really believes that we can be something special.”
Freedom will host Sickles in its spring game May 21 at 6:30 p.m.