FREEPORT — Senior defensive lineman Bobby Jendrejewski still remembers what it was like when the Freeport football team was routinely bullied two seasons ago.

The Yellowjackets progressed last season, making a three-win improvement to finish 5-4 and missing out on a playoff spot.

Challenged by the coaching staff to get more physical, Jendrejewski and his teammates are ready to show their new might to the rest of the Allegheny Conference.

It's what the last three seasons have been building toward.

“As the team grew, I grew up myself. I came into 10th grade as a 190-pound, 5-foot-11 punk,” said Jendrejewski, who is now 6-2 and 225 pounds. “Watching me and the team grow together and to be able to lay the wood down to some of the teams that beat us the last couple years is a good feeling.”

Demonstrating that strength on defense will be a key focus for the Yellowjackets.

Opponents registered 28.6 points per game against Freeport last season.

Four teams scored 30 or more points against the Yellowjackets, including a season-high mark of 63 in a loss to Kittanning.

“We need to be more physical,” eighth-year Yellowjackets coach John Gaillot said. “That's the big question mark I have right now. I think we were physical last year, but I think we left something on the table. That's what I'm looking for, physicality.”

There are plenty of motivated athletes ready to meet his demand.

Logan Thimons, a West Virginia recruit, finished with 122 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. Dylan Hochbein led the team with eight sacks and was second with 50 tackles.

Jendrejewski had 1.5 sacks and 22 tackles.

“Every day you want to try and be the best athlete and try to get the recognition for doing a good job in practice,” Jendrewski said. “It's a giant competition everyday to see who the best player is.”

Junior center Noah Freeman, who has started since he was a freshmen, holds down the center of the line and is Jendrejewski's sparring partner in practice.

Motivation for Freeman all comes down to the mindset.

“I think it's more of an attitude. You have to have that mentality if you are wearing a different color jersey you aren't a friend,” Freeman said. “You're a person that is trying to invade and hurt my fellow players. I don't like that.”

Freeman and his teammates distrust of people in different jerseys helped them pave the way for a high-flying Yellowjackets' offense last season.

Freeport piled up 1,987 passing yards and another 1,308 on the ground.

Senior Ryan Weigold will take over for Andrew Romanchak at quarterback, but Freeport has a lot of weapons returning to take the pressure off the first-year quarterback.

Senior wide receivers Dylan Hochbein (54 catches, 873 yards), Brandon Hochbein (29, 479) and Josh Brestensky (24, 209) all made big plays for the Yellowjackets last season.

Senior Ian Miller, who rushed for 358 yards and scored five times is the team's leading rusher.

“It's a blessing,” said Weigold about his receiving corps. “It can be a broken play and they find some way to make a play if I can get it there.”

The defense spent extra time in camp popping pads trying to meet the challenge. Learning how to hit, Jendrejewski believes, can only be accomplished with more full-contact drills in camp.

That will put Freeport in position to be the bullies.

“I feel like the attitude starts at the coaching level and goes down to the players,” Freeman said. “Our coaches are very competitive and they hate to lose to one another and hate to lose to anybody.”