Trinity Classical Academy football head coach Mike Parrinello got do something Monday that he hasn’t done since 2019: hand out league championship shirts to his players.  Coach of the Knights for many of the last 20 years, Parrinello said he was excited for this year’s team after just five wins combined the two years prior. And while the goal was to win the Cottonwood League title and make playoffs for the first time since 2021, Trinity went above and beyond by going a perfect 10-0 in the regular season.  “It was very satisfying because I know how hard those guys worked,” Parrinello said. “I know how that was such a big goal for them.”  A big goal, and a lofty one for a squad that lost eight straight games to end the 2023 regular season.  The work for this year started shortly after that when Dave Eastham took over the strength and conditioning for the team. Also the defensive backs and wide receivers coach, Eastham completely changed how the Knights prepared, according to senior captain Luke Backes.  “He did these speed and agility workouts to get us faster,” Backes said. “It started all the way in January, February, and a lot of people went to it, and I think we just bought in so early … It contributed to our success all season.”  A successful season may be selling short what Trinity accomplished.  It’s the first winning record for the program in three years, highlighted by five shutouts and nearly 50 points per game on offense, and one that saw nearly the entire team contribute.  Senior quarterback Noah Visconti was at the heart of it all, throwing for more than 2,500 yards and 41 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He became the program’s all-time passing leader earlier this year and now stands at 5,614 passing yards for his career.  He’s developed a close relationship with fellow senior John Carlson. Both team captains are also members of the Trinity baseball team, which has much of its roster also on the football roster.  Other football players at Trinity play soccer or basketball, something Carlson thinks has helped them to develop as athletes.  “You go and you look at all these college athletes, a lot of them are multi-sport athletes,” Carlson said, “There’s just something about competing in different areas, having to do different things with your body, having to perform in different settings.”  Whether there’s a correlation or not, Carlson has become a standout in multiple positions this year. He has a team-high 23 touchdowns playing as both a running back and a receiver, adding a team-high 119 tackles and three sacks.  Backes, another captain with baseball ties, is one of three Knights with double-digit touchdowns, along with the two Carlsons, John and sophomore Andrew. He said the losses the team had sustained his sophomore and junior years helped to give the players a hunger to be better.  “I just don’t like to lose, and so I feel like it ignited a spark in all of us, that we just wanted to win,” Backes said. “So that’s why I worked so much harder this year than last year.”  While there are many veterans who have had to endure the hard times before finding success, Parrinello has also been able to call upon some newer players who have stepped up in different ways. Some of those are younger, such as Andrew Carlson and freshman Aiden Visconti, and others joined the team late in their high school careers, like senior Jordan Lovelace.  Parrinello said those younger players have gotten playing time due to how much football they’ve played growing up, making their transition to high school easier and giving him fewer nerves in throwing them on the field. He used Aiden as an example, noting that he’s been used less on offense to make sure he’s fresh to shine on defense where he is third on the team with 65 tackles and tied for second with three interceptions.  “I think it shows that they trust me and that they can rely on me,” Aiden said, though he acknowledged that he does enjoy offense more. “And I think that is a great thing, and that I can build on that.”  Trust is something the Knights have. Even if all of the players aren’t getting on the field during games, Parrinello said everyone has a role in practice, helping to keep the winning ways going. He said everyone has bought in, a testament to how the leaders of the team have built a camaraderie.  “They want to be leaders. They want to help each other out,” Parrinello said. “We have guys teaching and training each other. There is no guy on this team that doesn’t doesn’t believe that the main goal this week is to win, and we want to get everybody ready to win. Everybody wants to get the ball, I understand that. But we also have guys that are very selfless. They want to win the football game, and if whoever scores, scores. But we’re all going to be part of that win.”  If the Knights want keep going, they’ll have to go on the road to San Bernardino and beat the Carter Lions in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 12 playoffs. That game is set for Friday at 7 p.m.  “We’re probably more lined up as a Division 13 team, but they put us in Division 12, and I think that’s an honor,” Parrinello said. “They moved us up. You take that with respect.”  John Carlson said he doesn’t mind a road trip, that it’s one of his best experiences going down on a rowdy bus before trying to beat up on the opposing team.  “Everybody wants to play at home, but I’m excited,” he said. “I mean, we’ve done it all year. What’s one more?”  The post Growth mindset: Trinity football turns losses into wins  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.