High school football: New-look Faith Christian readies for title defense season
By PATRICK MASON
Sports Writer
Friday, August 2, 2019
We begin our high school football preview whiparound in championship country.
The Faith Christian football team is entering its third season as a program and has already got a taste of the top. Along with a winning record in each of their first two years, the Patriots also have a state championship.
FCS defeated Raleigh St. David’s, 24-20, in the NCISAA 8-man championship game last season, a feat accomplished by attention to detail on defense while scoring just enough to hand its opponent its first loss of the season.
Now, the Patriots are preparing to embark on a title defense season with plenty of new pieces.
“We have the work ethic as a team, we’re working extremely hard in practice and coach has done a good job of getting us in the right mindset,” junior running back Shaikey Hardy said. “I feel like the talk last year is the same as this year. One year we were a new team with not much expectations, and this year we’re probably not expected to do well because we lost a lot. But we have the same standards and we think we can accomplish what we want.”
The Patriots lost 16 seniors from last season’s team that 9-1 and shut down the state’s hottest offense in an exhilarating championship game. The graduation of seniors affected several key positional groups, including quarterback, receiver and many defensive spots.
Yet the 1-2 scoring punch is intact as Hardy returns to the backfield for his junior season and running mate Hobart Brantley returns for his senior year.
As for filling in the other spots, sophomore Chandler Cockrell is expected to be the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1. FCS last season didn’t pass often, but did so effectively. FCS attempted 46 passes all season (averaging fewer than five attempts per game) and turned those into 743 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions.
Cockrell, a sophomore, is listed at 6-foot-2 has the ability to attack downfield with a strong arm. The young player is part of a roster that contains 10 sophomores, seven juniors and one senior.
Coach Russell Weinstein is working on getting the young roster up to speed, a process that could bleed into the regular season.
“We just want to see progress,” Weinstein said. “We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves once we get through that tough stretch at the beginning of the season.”
Indeed, the Patriots open the season with a tough slate of games.
FCS will open at home on Aug. 16 against Fayetteville Christian, before hitting the road to play a pair of tough opponents. On Aug. 30 the Patriots travel to Charlottesville, Va. to play St. Anne’s-Belfied, the Virginia state runner-ups, followed by a trip to Raleigh on Sept. 6 for a state championship rematch against St. David’s.
During that early stretch, as well as the rest of August’s training camp, the team will rely on the talent and leadership of its lone senior in Brantley and returning varsity standout Hardy.
Brantley was the Patriots’ rushing leader with 1,378 yards to go with 13 touchdowns, while Hardy added 1,100 yards and a team-high 20 rushing touchdowns. Both were all-state selections and figure to keep the Patriots on pace offensively this season.
“It’s our same goal to win it again,” Brantley said. “We said that last year and that’s our goal from here on out. We knew if we were going to win it, last year was going to be that year with all the seniors and athletes we had. But if you look around we have a bunch of athletes this year, too. And if our offensive line can block a bit, we’ll do what we do.”
The Patriots have good size up front, including a group of sophomores that will likely fill many of the offensive and defensive line positions.
“When I look around I know that now I have to step up and lead,” Brantley said. “Me and Shaikey, starting with intensity, we have to show them what we have to do and what it takes to be a good team. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re making progress."
Patriots file
Coach: Russell Weinstein (3rd season)
Last season: 9-1 (won NCISAA 8-man state championship)
2019 first game: Aug. 16, hosting Fayetteville Christian
Key losses: Sam Mills, Landon Lewis, Sam Richardson, Garrett Pannell, Zach Warrick, Trysten Edwards, Chase Johnson
Fast fact: Faith Christian went a combined 15-5 across the previous two seasons, which is as long as the program has existed (it began in 2017). The Patriots won last year’s state championship in their second year as a program.
By PATRICK MASON
Sports Writer
Friday, August 2, 2019
We begin our high school football preview whiparound in championship country.
The Faith Christian football team is entering its third season as a program and has already got a taste of the top. Along with a winning record in each of their first two years, the Patriots also have a state championship.
FCS defeated Raleigh St. David’s, 24-20, in the NCISAA 8-man championship game last season, a feat accomplished by attention to detail on defense while scoring just enough to hand its opponent its first loss of the season.
Now, the Patriots are preparing to embark on a title defense season with plenty of new pieces.
“We have the work ethic as a team, we’re working extremely hard in practice and coach has done a good job of getting us in the right mindset,” junior running back Shaikey Hardy said. “I feel like the talk last year is the same as this year. One year we were a new team with not much expectations, and this year we’re probably not expected to do well because we lost a lot. But we have the same standards and we think we can accomplish what we want.”
The Patriots lost 16 seniors from last season’s team that 9-1 and shut down the state’s hottest offense in an exhilarating championship game. The graduation of seniors affected several key positional groups, including quarterback, receiver and many defensive spots.
Yet the 1-2 scoring punch is intact as Hardy returns to the backfield for his junior season and running mate Hobart Brantley returns for his senior year.
As for filling in the other spots, sophomore Chandler Cockrell is expected to be the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1. FCS last season didn’t pass often, but did so effectively. FCS attempted 46 passes all season (averaging fewer than five attempts per game) and turned those into 743 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions.
Cockrell, a sophomore, is listed at 6-foot-2 has the ability to attack downfield with a strong arm. The young player is part of a roster that contains 10 sophomores, seven juniors and one senior.
Coach Russell Weinstein is working on getting the young roster up to speed, a process that could bleed into the regular season.
“We just want to see progress,” Weinstein said. “We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves once we get through that tough stretch at the beginning of the season.”
Indeed, the Patriots open the season with a tough slate of games.
FCS will open at home on Aug. 16 against Fayetteville Christian, before hitting the road to play a pair of tough opponents. On Aug. 30 the Patriots travel to Charlottesville, Va. to play St. Anne’s-Belfied, the Virginia state runner-ups, followed by a trip to Raleigh on Sept. 6 for a state championship rematch against St. David’s.
During that early stretch, as well as the rest of August’s training camp, the team will rely on the talent and leadership of its lone senior in Brantley and returning varsity standout Hardy.
Brantley was the Patriots’ rushing leader with 1,378 yards to go with 13 touchdowns, while Hardy added 1,100 yards and a team-high 20 rushing touchdowns. Both were all-state selections and figure to keep the Patriots on pace offensively this season.
“It’s our same goal to win it again,” Brantley said. “We said that last year and that’s our goal from here on out. We knew if we were going to win it, last year was going to be that year with all the seniors and athletes we had. But if you look around we have a bunch of athletes this year, too. And if our offensive line can block a bit, we’ll do what we do.”
The Patriots have good size up front, including a group of sophomores that will likely fill many of the offensive and defensive line positions.
“When I look around I know that now I have to step up and lead,” Brantley said. “Me and Shaikey, starting with intensity, we have to show them what we have to do and what it takes to be a good team. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re making progress."
Patriots file
Coach: Russell Weinstein (3rd season)
Last season: 9-1 (won NCISAA 8-man state championship)
2019 first game: Aug. 16, hosting Fayetteville Christian
Key losses: Sam Mills, Landon Lewis, Sam Richardson, Garrett Pannell, Zach Warrick, Trysten Edwards, Chase Johnson
Fast fact: Faith Christian went a combined 15-5 across the previous two seasons, which is as long as the program has existed (it began in 2017). The Patriots won last year’s state championship in their second year as a program.
