Canterbury Football's Signature Win

ST. PETERSBURG – On paper, Canterbury's 12-10 victory over Admiral Farragut Friday was just one win among hundreds of high school football games played throughout Florida.

Lost in the jumble of football games was the significance for Canterbury.

Even though Canterbury has had a football program for years, the program doesn't have as much history. It's a small private school with the results of games buried amid the exploits of much star-studded, higher-profile, larger schools.

In Pinellas County alone, Canterbury – except for the coaches, players, a few alumni and immediate families – is an afterthought compared to the exploits of state powers that play locally, such as Countryside, Largo or even Clearwater Central Catholic.

But Canterbury's win over Admiral Farragut made waves. Admiral Farragut, like Canterbury, was undefeated.

But unlike its cross-town rival, Admiral Farragut was ranked No. 4 in the state.

Aside from Canterbury's softball squad's state championship victory earlier this spring, the Crusaders' football win over Admiral Farragut was the biggest in school history.

Canterbury coach Bill Jones sure believes that.

“We won the South Conference championship two years ago and at that time it was the biggest win,” Jones said. The win over Admiral Farragut “trumps that big time.”

In an unusual analogy, Jones credited the rigorous academic standards of the school as paving the way for the program's signature win.

“We have the kids believing hard work pays off,” Jones said. “This is an academic school and [the players] know that working hard produces results. They have bought into that.”

Jones bragged that rather than be intimidated by playing a team among the state's elite, the Crusaders believed they could win.

“Yeah, we knew from last year what they bring to the table,” Crusaders star running back Brent O'Neal said.

Last year Canterbury lost to Admiral Farragut after only trailing by two scores at halftime, and lost 34-0. It was that memory that fueled O'Neal and his teammates, O'Neal said.

“We felt we could win,” O'Neal said. “We felt last year was a fluke. At halftime they were up only 12-0 and I felt like we gave up. This year we came out with a whole new mindset. We could tell they were shocked but they didn't give up. They kept bringing it. It was a very competitive game.

“This is definitely the biggest win I've had in high school.”

Friday Night Football

Canterbury plays Calvary Christian in Clearwater Friday, 7:30 p.m.