Saint Stephen’s School does not have to look far or deep in its annals to find the best football team in program history — last year’s Falcons finished 7-3, which closed the season with four victories and set a school record for wins.

That record would stand just one season, however. The 2015 team, with many of the same players, finished with a 9-2 mark, advancing to the championship game of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

Still, it was the 2014 squad that got things headed in the right direction. The seniors had been with the current coaching staff, led by Tod Creneti, their entire four years, building from a 0-9 season in 2011.

“Our kids were very much on the same page,” Creneti said. “They like each other a lot. They work together well. In this past four years, they continually bought into things we asked them to do. The kids really set the standard. They were going to do whatever it took to be competitive. We saw that break out.”

Two players — Nic Roadhouse and Luc Goeders — were starters the entire four years. “Luc got hurt early last year, but provided leadership and direction to a lot of kids and helped keep the expectations high,” Creneti said.

Creneti also said Jacob Westberry and Bobby Harrison provided leadership from a personality and confidence standpoint.

However, if one player instilled the most confidence into the program, it was lineman Wyatt Knopfke. Although he was at Saint Stephen’s for one season after transferring from Cardinal Mooney, the Boston College commit had a huge impact on the players, according to Creneti.

“He’s an interesting kid in a lot of ways,” the coach said. “Ultimately, he was a great fit at our place way beyond football. He fit academically. He fit in an intellectual curiosity standpoint.

“But one of the things Wyatt brought to the table was a lot of confidence. We had a lot of talented kids who weren’t sure they were allowed to be confident yet. He really demonstrated being confident doesn’t mean you just play hard, but that you work hard and train hard. He was a great example to a lot of our younger kids. He elevated their play.”

Two players affected positively were freshman quarterback Fred Billy and freshman offensive lineman Charlie Meech, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound center.

“We had kids in our locker room last year from top to bottom who expected to win,” Creneti said.

Playing as an independent in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference, the only area team on the Falcons’ schedule was Out-of-Door Academy.

After losing 42-20 two years ago at Thunder Stadium, the Falcons returned and handed ODA a 43-21 setback.

“When you start talking about turning the page on a rivalry, that was the key moment,” Creneti said. “It was locally relevant. It was a team that plays in a district.”

Playing in the Coral Bay Conference had some drawbacks with travel and scheduling, but it was the right move for the Falcons, who played in the eight-team Class 2A-District 6 which ranged from Bradenton to Naples.

“We were uncertain how that would play out,” Creneti said. “By last year, our kids were excited to play for a championship. It was going to be a conference championship, not a district championship.

“It certainly hasn’t affected our numbers or anything else. Our kids are excited to be part of a winning program. There are plenty of district teams that we would have had no problem matching up against and playing well with. We just chose to be in a conference. That’s been a great decision.”

Having a state-of-the-art facility — field and weight room — also helps.

“When the school provided a facility like that, the kids are surrounded a great facility, people who are really committed to their success, it’s just wind in their sails,” Creneti said. “They love playing in that place.

“We’ve done little things along the way that have let the kids know from a school standpoint and from a staff standpoint that we are in it to do dynamite things.”

The Falcons have gone from zero wins to three to six to seven and nine in 2015 in Creneti’s five seasons.

“We have seen this in the beginning of the building process,” he said. “We are progressing. The kids last year really demonstrated like things have changed. Our team looks different. Our team plays different. Our team is demonstrating they are ready to play whoever we have to be competitive.

“We’ve set a standard over the past two years for what the best Saint Stephen’s football has been.”