A winning season is great but a perfect season – well, that is something truly special. The Vero Beach varsity football team accomplished that dream-come-true this fall, stringing together a series of impressive victories that tested both their athleticism and football intellect and left them standing undefeated at the end of the regular season.
The last time the Vero Beach football team went undefeated in a regular season was back in 2002. Chris “Big Toe” Hiser was the kicker that year and he says there are many challenges that teams must overcome to remain perfect.
“There are so many things that can happen over the season that can impact the game one way or another,” Hiser says. “The ball not bouncing your way or a call not going your way can send the game in a different direction. It takes a team with strong mental focus to keep up with the challenges every week and maintain the high level of play.”
Another factor in this year’s standout season is the coaching. Lenny Jankowski, in his fourth year as Vero’s head coach, brought a new up-tempo spread offense to the Indians that has seen its quarterbacks excel, breaking school passing records every year.
Jankowski says several key factors contributed to the team’s success.
“We preach the little things and you have to make some things happen and catch some breaks, it’s difficult,” he says. “There are a lot of very, very good players and some guys that have coached for a long time that have never experienced [an undefeated season]. It’s special.”
Jankowski has been able to instill a level of confidence in his players that allowed them to overcome tough breaks and challenges throughout the fall. “I told my guys from the beginning they need to believe in themselves and each other for good things to happen,” Jankowski says. “We are trying to build on the tradition that already exists and we have a great group of kids and fans. 10-0 is great but it’s not over yet.”
Running back Akeem Dixon is only a freshman but coach Jankowski saw something special in him and gave him the starting spot on the offense. Dixon is thrilled to be a part of the undefeated team. Even though he was new to the squad, he says the older players welcomed him with open arms and he is glad they did.
“This has been a great season for me and this team. Our hard work has paid off. It feels really good,” Dixon says. “When they made me the starting running back the guys treated me like I was family – and we are family.”
Hiser said that there are two strong similarities between the 2002 undefeated team and this 2014 team. “The most important thing . . . is the offensive line. We had a great offensive line on the 2002 team and these guys have it too,” he says. “The other thing is the it factor. This team can make plays and do what they need to do to win. They have the players and coaches to make things happen.”
The perfect season is a great accomplishment for the team but Jankowski said he doesn’t want the team to become complacent. “I try to get our kids to understand that they are a part of [a special football tradition] . . . there’s a lot of things in front of us.”
