“I was born in the wrong time,” head football coach Phil Ziglar said. “I should’ve been born in the medieval times, where if you had a problem with someone, you got on your horse, picked up your joust, and fought it until it was over.”

In December 2012, the school hired Ziglar after former head coach Nate Gierke stepped down, and this is the philosophy that Ziglar has brought to the field every day since.

“[Ziglar] is straight to the point, he knows what he’s talking about, and he’s basically a builder,” senior defensive lineman Garrett Cox said. “I think he makes everyone believe that we can go far and do big things.”

Confidence is a big part of Ziglar’s coaching style. With teams such as Timber Creek and Lake Mary still left on the schedule, Ziglar believes that his players have to believe in order to win the next round of games.

“If you into a game actually thinking you might lose, then you might as well stay home,” Ziglar said. “That thought as never entered my mind. I played Miami Northwestern for the state championship when I was at Boone. Miami had 17 Division I signees, we had one. There was no doubt in my mind that we could beat them. Then we started making mistakes and doubting ourselves. When self-doubt leaks in, you will not be successful. I’ve never had that problem.”

The team is currently 1-4, with a nail-biting victory over University Orange City in double overtime, as well as close losses to Lake Brantley, 26-22, and Lake Howell, 10-0. Statistically, Hagerty beat its first three opponents in rushing and passing yards, but continues to make mistakes.

“We’ve had a rough start to the season, but we’re improving a lot,” senior lineman Breht Joly said. “We’re still trying to get used to the coaching staff, and we’ve made a lot of mental mistakes, but we’re going to correct those mistakes, and definitely turn this season around.”

The team played University Orange City on Friday night, for the annual “Pink’d” game. The game is played to raise awareness for breast cancer, and the student section is called for a Pink Out. The team won 24-21 in a nail-biting double overtime period. A missed field goal from University Orange City finished the game. For Ziglar, this game is about much more than football.

“Our kids need to understand that there’s a lot more that goes on than just sports,” Ziglar said. “When you have something that brings awareness to the problem, and people that are going through that struggle see that, and they see the support from the students, and they see that people care, and people are concerned, I think it helps ease the pain for them.”