- May 9, 2025
New FPC football coach Patrick Turner demonstrates a running play on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
New FPC football coach Patrick Turner talks to the team at the end of his first practice with the Bulldogs. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Quarterback Jason Ebding hands the ball off as the Bulldogs go over running plays on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC players run 20-yard sprints at the end of their first spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Patrick Turner directs his first spring practice at FPC. Photo by Brent Woronoff
New head coach Patrick Turner (right) talks to offensive line coach Paul Spegele. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC coach Patrick Turner runs his first practice with the Bulldogs. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The first day of spring football practice at Flagler Palm Coast High School on April 28, was new to everyone — the returning players, the new players coming in and the coaches.
New Bulldogs head coach Patrick Turner introduced some of the new playbook but mostly what the structure of the practices will be like.
“The first day was just what practice is supposed to look like, a lot of new things,” Turner said. “The periods, even the stretch was different. Maybe indy (individualized drills and position groups) was different, and just moving them around, getting them moving and understanding where they need to be, and things like that.”
Turner was assisted by a group of returning coaches and a few new coaches but none who have coached with Turner before. He hopes to add some assistants he has previously worked with to the staff in the fall.
While Turner is new to FPC, he is not new to the area. He was the head coach at Palatka High School from 2021 to 2024 and before that he was the head coach at Menendez in St. Augustine from 2013 to 2017.
The Bulldogs installed six plays on offense and two base plays on defense, Turner said. They planned to add more plays on Day 2, he said. The first two days of practice are no contact with players wearing helmets and shorts.
The Bulldogs will be young this year. They went 9-2 last season with a senior dominated team.
“They graduated a ton of talent, a ton of offensive and defensive explosiveness,” Turner said.
Among the seniors who will be graduating in May are FPC’s all-time sacks leader Colby Cronk, all-time rushing leader Marcus Mitchell and single-season passing record holder Hayden Hayes in addition to top receivers Roman Caliendo and Mikhail Zysek. The Bulldogs' other receiving leader, Braylyn Simmons, has transferred to Mainland.
“I wish they can all come back,” Turner said of the departing seniors. “We are returning zero touchdowns. There isn’t anybody out here that has scored a varsity touchdown for this team.”
The Bulldogs do have transfer players with varsity experience who have scored touchdowns and they return their interception leader from last year — rising junior Lucas Siharaj who had seven picks last season.
But they all will be starting from square one.
“The kids have great attitudes. They’re listening. They’re trying to learn. The energy was high,” Turner said. “It’s new for everybody. It’s new for the coaches. But I thought it was a really good first day. I’m excited. I can’t wait to get the film uploaded and look at it and tag some stuff and share it and get them watching it and get them excited, just like I am.”
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