Nansemond River High School’s football team had to tackle the 2014 season amid a sea of change, but it gained traction and showed promise, even as its season ended in Saturday’s playoff loss to Phoebus High School.

The Warriors finished with a 5-6 record overall, 5-5 in the regular season, and their head coach, David Coccoli, gave his opinion on how his first year as Nansemond River’s head coach went.

“I think it went good,” he said, noting he inherited a program that returned only three starters from the previous year and with so much young talent, he started four sophomores and one freshman at one point.

“To get to .500 (in the regular season), I think that’s quite an accomplishment,” he said.

He said he did not come into the year with many specific expectations aside from one that he knew based on past experience would lay the foundation for success.

“I just felt like I wanted to get the program established,” he said.

Coccoli said the team was up and down on both sides of the ball. It started the season playing well offensively, but it struggled defensively.

Coccoli said he was working to employ a college-level defense with multiple fronts and eventually decided he might have gone too far with it. He simplified things, moved some players around and began to see improvement.

His players became more familiar with the game plan, and he was even able to restore some of the complex elements he dropped before.

Coccoli was pleased with the unit’s performance on Saturday, holding the Phantoms and even producing seven points on an interception return by senior outside linebacker/quarterback DeShon Saunders.

“Next year we return nine starters on defense, so hopefully the performance in the playoffs will carry over into the first game of the regular season,” Coccoli said.

The coach cited consistency as one of the team’s greatest areas of needed improvement.

“We need to learn how to play four quarters of football,” he said. “We just need to become a more physical football team. That starts in the weight room.”

He said his players are eager to begin lifting.

Coccoli highlighted several players who he felt were standouts, including Saunders, on both sides of the ball, senior defensive end Napolean Cross, junior offensive lineman Thomas Hopple, sophomore inside linebacker John Carter and sophomore inside linebacker Henry Moreno.

Next year, Nansemond River will be moved up to the Group 5A level, meaning it will be in a field of schools with larger student bodies from which to draw players than at the 4A level.

This can translate into better teams and more difficult competition, but Coccoli noted his team played a variety of 5A and 6A teams this season, anyway.

“To me it’s not that big of a deal,” he said.

He said he is excited that by playing bigger opponents, his players can have bigger opportunities.

“I think it’s a great thing for the kids at Nansemond River,” he said.