Ocala Trinity Catholic playing for first state football championship since 2010

High school sports are played with one goal in mind - winning a state championship. It makes the long days of practice, prostration and performance worth it.

Not everyone makes it to the final game, but everyone is hunting for it. For the first time since 2010, Trinity Catholic is one of those lucky final two teams buckling their chin straps.

The Celtics (9-2) face First Baptist Academy (9-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. in Tallahassee for the Class 1S championship.

It's been a perfect storm for the Celtics. They've made it through their gauntlet-style season relatively healthy and playing their best football of the year.

You'll hear the same answers if you ask the guys wearing the shamrocks on their helmets if they expected to make it this far. There was always a formula: establish the run game behind a talented offensive line, bring the passing game along slowly, and bring the hurt on defense.

"I knew if we could develop and get the quarterback play that we needed, we had a chance," Coach John Brantley said.

Trinity Catholic returned most of its offensive line and every skill position but quarterback. The continuity on the offensive end helped to run their schemes to perfection.

Trinity Catholic semifinal takeaways:Trinity Catholic football heading for Class 1S state final after defeating John Carroll

Past Trinity Catholic playoff wins:High School Football: Trinity Catholic routs P.K. Yonge, wins third straight regional title

A special feeling for Trinity Catholic

Trinity Catholic has waited more than a decade for another title shot. Players on the current roster weren't in school during their last run.

There's an air of excitement in the Celtics' locker room. The energy buzzed with a level of focus that's grown over the weeks.

"I'm excited and just taking it in," said defensive coordinator Steve Young.

Even the freshmen call-ups have a sense of poise. All the players are happy to be in the big game but know they still have a goal in mind.

"It feels good, man. We've been working all year to talk about this moment," Miami commit Tommy Kinsler said. "Job isn't finished, though. We still have to go get that ring."

They've spent countless hours in the weight room and film room. The locker room was filled with players by seventh period on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

It's a surreal moment for some. When you look at the talent on the roster, they were bound to make a splash, but it's still something so few experience that it's shocking when it happens.

"I'm excited. I didn't doubt us going to state, but it felt so fake when it happened," running back Beau Beard said.

The moment has coaches dialed in, too. Offensive coordinator JB Bynum barely had time to let the state semifinal game sink in before he started preparing for First Baptist. He was breaking down film and putting plans together Saturday morning, hours after the game.

"Getting there is good, but winning is what you strive for. You don't want to get there and lose," Bynum said.

Trinity Catholic has been ignoring social media all week. It's a tough question to ask a group of teenagers, but they understand the sacrifice.

A few incidents gave the Celtics bulletin board material early in the week. Instead of responding, they chose to lock in and let their game talk. Saturday, they'll unleash all their emotions and pent-up frustration from the trash talk they decided to ignore.

"I told them don't feed into that social media stuff, just let them talk. We'll show them who the big dog is on Saturday," Kinsler said.

Celtics feature an unwavering defense

Young is the architect behind the top defense in the 1S region. He's been with the Trinity Catholic staff for three years and rivals Brantley with five state championship appearances. After winning one state title game with Essex High School in Virginia, Young is looking for his first state title in Florida.

He knew his defense had what it took to be the last team standing. The amount of talent and team buy-in assured him they were ready for whatever the season would throw at them.

One of those guys who's been with Young throughout the process is linebacker Donathan LeCorn. He's the heartbeat of the team and one of their loudest encouragers.

LeCorn didn't see eye to eye with Young in his earlier years. Young saw potential in Lecorn and pushed to get every drop of talent out of him before he left for the college ranks.

"He's (Young) a great role model. He explains everything to us in a way we'll get it," Lecorn said.

His tough love worked. LeCorn is top 25 in the state in tackles for the season with 71. It's not just production on the field that makes LeCorn a special player. His electric personality fuels his team and play.

On Monday, he committed to Western Carolina to join former Trinity Catholic quarterback Cole Gonzales.

"He brings it every Friday night. It's fun to watch him," Brantley said.

The formula for a great offensive season

Bynum began the season in an interesting position. Most of Trinity Catholic's starting lineup from last year returned - but not at quarterback.

He watched as a pair of underclassmen battled for the QB1. By the end of training camp, Preston Wright emerged as the starter.

Brantley and Bynum agreed to bring their new signal caller along slowly. They'd rely on one of the state's most talented and physically gifted offensive lines to buy time.

"It's easy when you have some 6-5 or better 300 pounders up there that are technically sound and branded into our way of playing football," Bynum said. "They know you're not just going to be big and pass protect all night. You're going to be big and be able to move people."

Their size on their field is the first thing you notice about Trinty Catholic. It's the first unit the staff talks about when breaking down the team.

Trinity Catholic's offensive line has buttered its bread in the run game all season. The line's bond is strong. They do everything together on and off the field.

"The whole offense is family," Kinsler said.

That family bond extends to senior running back Beau Beard. When the line does its job, Beard does his.

"When you have a connection like that and going at it in practice, you develop chemistry over the years," Beard said.

Beard is having a breakout season. The work he did in the summer to add muscle to his frame and all the uphill sprints paid off. The senior finished top three in the class rankings in rushing yards, total points, and touchdowns.

"I knew I had to step up this year," Beard said. "After losing our great quarterback Cole and some other ball players, I knew I had to step up to fill that role."

Beau's historic season was on the brink of never happening. After sitting behind other waiting backs during his sophomore and junior seasons, he was interested in a position change. The coaching staff and Beard's dad talked him into staying the course. Everyone bet on him, and he cashed in the offseason work for on-the-field success.

"The leaps and bounds Beau made this offseason let me know we can be a very dangerous offense," Bynum said

The Celtics' playoff run

Trinity Catholic tore through the first round of the playoffs. In round one, the Celtics defeated Father Lopez 56-6. They downed P.K. Yonge, 48-7, to capture the regional title.

The Celtics didn't trail in the playoffs until John Carroll challenged them for the first time in weeks. Trinity Catholic beat them two years ago, 48-0. In this year's final four, the Rams struck first.

"I think it was a wake-up call," said Brantley.

Trinity Catholic stormed back with a 22-3 run to win the game. Brantley believes the maturity his team showed in that game was developed through the difficult season they played.

They had a similar bout against Clearwater Central Christian earlier in the season. The Celtics played three teams that made it to the final four, but everyone looks at the 35-29 Week Two victory over CCC as the inflection point of their season. The team knew it had what it took to play this far into December.

Ahead of Saturday's game, Brantley wants to remind the team to enjoy the experience.

"I want these kids to understand this is an opportunity 90% of Florida doesn't get, and you need to take advantage of it," he said.

This is Brantley's sixth trip to the state final. He's won as a high school quarterback, two times as an assistant coach, and three as a head coach. He has three state title rings to prove it.

Now, he wants a fourth - and one for all his players.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Trinity Catholic vs. First Baptist for Class 1S state football title