St. Petersburg Catholic High School football program is proud of first undefeated season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St Petersburg Catholic High School head football coach Jesse Chinchar has been coaching since he was a teenager, but this is his first year leading the Barons. 

What they're saying:

"We knew that we could build something special here," Chinchar said. "The kids are like family. They treat everyone like family. They work incredibly hard."

That hard work has led to some special results. 

MORE NEWS: Bucs give back building homes through Habitat for Humanity

"It's been very exciting," St. Petersburg Catholic senior safety Forrest Loving said. "We've built a good team. We have been putting in the work throughout summer and spring. To see what we are able to do and see what we have been able to bring out of this new team has been great."

The Barons have put together the first undefeated season in program history. They are now 11-0 after defeating Evangelical Christian High School 50-14 in the playoffs last week. 

Not Satisfied:

"It's special to go undefeated," Chinchar said. "At the end of the day our goal is bigger than going undefeated."

Special is an understatement in Pinellas County. 

"It's definitely something we've known that has never been done or isn't done often in the area," St. Petersburg Catholic junior quarterback Chase Burrill said. "It's really cool to see it happen for us."

The St. Petersburg Catholic football program believes it is seeing this success due in large part to keeping things simple by not getting ahead of schedule. 

The Mindset:

"For us, it is just about winning one game at a time," Chinchar said. "We are excited about the last playoff win we got. We are excited about the next one. We are just taking it one at a time. I just think the kids and coaches we have in the building give us a chance on any Friday night."

SPC’s unblemished record on Friday nights this season under Chinchar’s guidance allowed him to be named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association 1A Coach of the Year. The Barons are also the No. 1 seed in Class 1A, Region 3. 

"We're now finally basically putting together a football program that can really match what we've always been able to do academically, and faith-based," Chinchar said. "We've been able to put something for the community to be proud of."

Record Breaker:

 In the process, junior quarterback Chase Burrill broke the Pinellas County passing record with 45 touchdowns and counting. That success has led to at least 43 points scored in every single SPC football game this year. 

 "It's a blessing," Burrill said. "I give all of the credit to the coaches, the o-line and the skill guys making the plays."

 The team has been making plays by playing complimentary football all season long.

 "We talk about the gold standard a lot," Loving said. "I feel like we uphold it. We try to bring out the best in each other and ourselves. We work a lot and we like to stay focused on what the goal is."

 The goal is clear. 

 "The goal is a state championship," Loving said.

 They know that goal is in unchartered territory, but they don’t care.

There's A First For Everything:

"No one has ever [won a state title] in Pinellas County," Chinchar said. "For us to be the first would be pretty unbelievable."

That’s why the Barons say they are willing to do whatever it takes to finally bring a title home.

"They are going to do everything they can," Chinchar said. "Win, lose or draw, they are going to give it everything they've got."

That's because it means everything to put on for the Barons every Friday night.

"It’s just a great community to play football in," Loving said. 

It’s that community that is giving SPC all the motivation they need to get the job done.

"Oh man, it is awesome," Burrill said. "It is a blessing to be able to be a part of what we've got going here. I think we can go all the way, if we execute like we are supposed to and keep it going."

What's next:

 Next up for St. Petersburg Catholic is Neumann at home on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

St. PetersburgSports