LANTANA, Fla. — The Santaluces Chiefs are not letting last season's first-round playoff exit define them.
With summer workouts underway, the team is focused on one thing: starting fast and sustaining it.
WATCH WPTV'S COVERAGE BELOW:
"You know, we started the season out slow and it kind of affected the rest of the long run because you know our record wasn't the best," Kentucky commit Kelsey Gerald said. "A lot of people talking down to us, but we definitely gonna start off hot this season and then we just wanna let it roll all season. It's definitely gonna boost us for the playoffs to come."
Assistant coach Simon Putmon believes this group is a significant step ahead of last year's 6-4 squad.
"Man listen, I feel like this group has been working extremely hard," Putmon said. "I feel like they all know that we fell short last season and this season we're not trying to have the same setback."
Last season, the Chiefs captured the district title and advanced to the playoffs, but a first-round exit left the team hungry for more.
Miami commit Jayvon Dawson said new additions and strong leadership will make the difference this fall.
"We got new people coming in," Dawson said. "I know that we're gonna do great this fall. We got the coaches that are going to develop us to be better. We just gotta be disciplined and have leaders on the team."
Gerald said the Chiefs' commitment to outworking the competition is what sets them apart.
"We usually always do start early," Gerald said. "We work harder than most teams so the team that could last longest is always gonna win."
