They preach protecting the football, forcing turnovers and playing aggressively.

“We feel that is a winning formula,” Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School head football coach Tod Creneti said. Every team stresses it, but not every team has experienced the same level of success.

The private school just off Manatee Avenue has a football team of which its 670 students can be proud. The Falcons dress out 28 players. Two seniors, seven juniors, 19 freshmen and sophomores, but on a Creneti-coached club, no one’s much into grade levels.

“We are all football players,” he said. Football players two victories from a title. Last week the Falcons won their first playoff game in school history, a 56-37 victory over Seven Rivers Christian of Lecanto. On Friday night they play at Boca Raton Christian in a semifinal contest of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

Win in Boca Raton, and the Falcons advance to the title game, Nov. 14 in Oviedo. Because it’s an independent, Saint Stephen’s doesn’t participate in the FHSAA postseason series, but that fact hasn’t diminished the excitement level around the school.

“It’s definitely a lot different than what it’s been in the past,” said senior safety, wide receiver and captain Bobby Harrison, who played as an eighth grader. “Having something to actually play for, instead of just going out and playing every week.”

Some of the Falcon numbers are just plain silly. In going 8-1, they have scored 364 points, an average of 40 a game, while allowing 149. Sophomore quarterback Fred Billy has thrown 13 TDs, rushed for 16. In the victory over Seven Rivers, the southpaw threw two scores and ran for five, including one covering 98 yards.

“Everybody knows what’s going on with the football program,” Billy said. “Football is not just another sport at Saint Stephen's. Football is a strong program now.”

Players make any head coach, but under Creneti’s leadership, the Falcons have shown steady improvement. They went 0-10 in 2011, his first season in charge, but finished 4-7 in ’12, 6-5 the next season, and 8-3 last season, just missing the playoffs.

“Over the summer we knew how hard we had to work to get to this point,” Billy said. “We got on anybody who was slacking. We’re not surprised at all.”

“I think we’ve been able to attract kids who want somebody to have high expectations for them,” Creneti said. “We talk all the time about loving our kids. We want this to be a place kids want to be and that’s, I think, been the key. They want the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Creneti has those players in abundance. Captain Jacob Westberry leads the team with seven sacks from his defensive end position and has an offer from Stetson. Sophomore center Charlie Meech anchors the offensive line. Harrison quarterbacks the defense.

The Falcons play aggressively, but also are smart, both in the classroom and on the field. Because of it, they don’t kill themselves with mistakes. Last season they lost one fumble and threw nine interceptions in 11 games. The turnovers are even fewer this season.

“If we do our job,” Harrison said, “you don’t have to worry about doing someone else’s job.’’ Sounds like words from a certain professional football coach in New England.

“Our plan was to just help our kids get better,” Creneti said, “motivate them to want to get better, be there to watch them develop and get to share in that process with them, and that’s where we are right now.”

Two victories from a championship.