Connor Davis remembers when the Arcadia football team was a “laughing stock.” No one laughs now as the Titans have turned last season’s 0-10 finish into a 3-0 start. According to the players, the success has to do with the mentality of new coach Kerry Taylor.

“People made fun of us,” said Davis, a senior tight end on the team. “This year, he(Taylor) really wanted to turn that around, and I think he is doing a pretty good job.”

Taylor, 29, is a former star wide receiver at Hamilton in who went on to play for Arizona State before spending time with eight different NFL teams over five seasons in the league from 2011 to 2015, including stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots where he played under now five-time Super Bowl winning coach, Bill Belichik. Last season, he coached college football in the Pac-12 as an assistant coach under Gary Anderson at Oregon State.

He decided to come to Arcadia and leave the college ranks because he said he wanted to build a program.

“I wanted to test myself as a coach, take over a program that was struggling, and see if I could come in and make things right,” Taylor said.

He said Arcadia had a lot of talent he could tap into and turn the program around. He said the culture change is the reason for the fast turnaround.

“We have a culture of competing,” Taylor said. “We don’t like to lose. We go out and give it 110%. Everything that we do is a challenge. These kids have answered the challenge and they’ve answered the bell of competing and really forgetting about last year, taking this as a new year, a new beginning and so far it’s worked out well for us.”

Taylor explained some twitter hashtags that he has been using on his account that describe the mentality he brings to the program at Arcadia. He said they are the team’s motto.

“#titanup is the statement of the program,” Taylor said. We try to do everything on the up and up.”

He said #newday is the hashtag he uses to remind players to forget about the past and last year. He said #fortheculture is the hashtag he uses to remind his players to stay true to themselves and not be like anybody else.

He believes it is easier to get players to buy in to his mentality since he has NFL experience. He said it gives him an advantage because players are more willing to trust and believe someone that has been to the highest level.

“He’s a prime example of what you can do, making it to the pros,” junior quarterback Kadin Beler said. “All of us want to be like him.”

Taylor said Beler’s success at the has translated into a lot of the team’s success. Through three games, Beler has 848 all-purpose yards.

“He’s the person that makes this whole thing go offensively,” Taylor said. “His leadership as a quarterback is unbelievable. He can make every throw. What he can do in the run game is so dynamic. He can run defenders over, which I don’t like to see him do often, but when he does it, it looks really cool.”

Arcadia played last season in the 5A conference, making the conference by just 15 students. This season, the Titans have moved down to the 4A conference. Players and coaches believe that it is a small factor in their success this season, but it is not the main reason they have turned things around.

“We had the toughest schedule in 5A last year,” Davis said. Mixed with the coaching staff we had last year, it wasn’t really a good fit.”

Beler said the team would be having the same success in 5A

“It’s obviously different,” Beler said. “But I honestly think that we’d be having the same success. The coaches brought us together. It’s a more competitive nature.”

Now they’re thinking state title as a team goal.

“Ultimately, it is to go 10-0 and win state,” senior linebacker Jonathan Hunter said.

Arcadia faces St. Mary’s High School at home on Friday at 7 p.m.