Dr. Phillips football moves forward in first action since championship | Observer Preps

It’s hard to say when the celebration of a state championship truly ends.

After all, something like Dr. Phillips football’s run to the Class 8A crown last December was an achievement more than three decades in the making. Just two weeks ago, the team held its annual banquet, where players were presented with their state championship rings. 

Banners and state championship branding, for Bill Spoone Stadium and inside the campus gymnasium, are on the way.

Perhaps you never really stop celebrating a state championship, but for head coach Rodney Wells and his program, the beginning of spring practice earlier this month was a day to change gears and begin the pursuit of another. The Panthers take the field for their spring football game May 16 against Winter Park at home.

“Pretty much, we started to move on the first day when we got out here (for spring practice),” Wells said after practice May 10. “We had to make sure the guys know that that was a different team. We’ve got new captains, new leaders, new faces — but the same goal.” 

It’s no coincidence Wells uses the word “new” so much when describing the 2018 team, either.

Of the roughly 60 players who suited up for Dr. Phillips in the playoffs in 2017, Wells said just 18 are back, thanks to a large graduating class.

“We’re probably the youngest we’ve been in a long, long time,” Wells said. “We lost 31 seniors from last year (2017) and then, two years before (2016), we had 33 seniors — so you’re talking about 64 guys in the last two years. We are extremely young and you can see that out here.”

Fortunately, there is still plenty of time for the Panthers to prepare for their title defense, even with the spring season in the rearview. For Wells and his veteran coaching staff, this spring was less about winning or losing one game than it was about successfully passing the championship culture on to a new group of leaders.

“It’s all about ownership and leadership,” Wells said. “I let the team know that championship teams lead themselves — the players police themselves.”