Bethel Christian reflects on first junior varsity football season since 1978
By Junious Smith III / Sports Editor KINSTON FREE PRESS
The story was nearly scripted to perfection for Bethel Christian in its first football season in 37 years.
In the Trojans’ final game against Arendell Parrott on Thursday, Bethel Christian held a 20-18 lead in the fourth quarter and was primed to not only beat its crosstown rivals, but finish with a winning record.
While the Patriots recovered to win 32-20 and drop Bethel Christian to 3-4 in its long-awaited season, Trojans head coach Brick Crowder said the loss shouldn’t put a damper on the hard work the team put in throughout the year.
“I saw a team with players who didn’t have a lot of prior football experience come such a long way in six weeks,” Crowder said. “To be able to compete with Parrott (who finished the season 6-1) and hold a fourth quarter lead, I’m so proud of these boys. Usually, you see teams who start football struggle out of the gate, especially as young as we were, but they kept thriving.”
Bethel Christian only had one home game all year, playing its first six games on the road. The Trojans started the season with a resounding 42-8 win over Wayne Christian, then defeated Lawrence Academy 20-6 the following week. Although Bethel Christian lost the next three, the Trojans rebounded with a 44-8 decimation of Raleigh Grace Christian, leading to the Parrott game.
Overall, the Trojans averaged 21.7 points per contest and allowed 16.3. Bethel Christian’s worst defeat was 30-12 to Rocky Mount Academy and only gave up more than 16 points twice.
In the first home game since 1978, the Trojans had hundreds come out to support, something Bethel Christian teacher Scott Wright said was a wonderful sight.
“This is the biggest crowd I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Wright said.
Another teacher, Nathan Pridgen, said there was plenty of excitement in the atmosphere and he believes the team can only improve.
“As they get more in-game experience, I think they can be competitive for years,” Pridgen said.
For the players, the season was an enjoyable journey. Caleb Griffin said the team never gave up throughout.
“We didn’t have a lot of big (low moments),” Griffin said. “Everyone tried their best and we didn’t let up. I wish we could’ve beat Parrott, but we made some mistakes in the fourth quarter. It was still a fun season.”
Scott Sanderson said the team surpassed the expectations of most.
It was really an emotional season,” Sanderson said. “We wanted to win more, but we did a lot better than anyone expected. There’s always next season.”
By Junious Smith III / Sports Editor KINSTON FREE PRESS
The story was nearly scripted to perfection for Bethel Christian in its first football season in 37 years.
In the Trojans’ final game against Arendell Parrott on Thursday, Bethel Christian held a 20-18 lead in the fourth quarter and was primed to not only beat its crosstown rivals, but finish with a winning record.
While the Patriots recovered to win 32-20 and drop Bethel Christian to 3-4 in its long-awaited season, Trojans head coach Brick Crowder said the loss shouldn’t put a damper on the hard work the team put in throughout the year.
“I saw a team with players who didn’t have a lot of prior football experience come such a long way in six weeks,” Crowder said. “To be able to compete with Parrott (who finished the season 6-1) and hold a fourth quarter lead, I’m so proud of these boys. Usually, you see teams who start football struggle out of the gate, especially as young as we were, but they kept thriving.”
Bethel Christian only had one home game all year, playing its first six games on the road. The Trojans started the season with a resounding 42-8 win over Wayne Christian, then defeated Lawrence Academy 20-6 the following week. Although Bethel Christian lost the next three, the Trojans rebounded with a 44-8 decimation of Raleigh Grace Christian, leading to the Parrott game.
Overall, the Trojans averaged 21.7 points per contest and allowed 16.3. Bethel Christian’s worst defeat was 30-12 to Rocky Mount Academy and only gave up more than 16 points twice.
In the first home game since 1978, the Trojans had hundreds come out to support, something Bethel Christian teacher Scott Wright said was a wonderful sight.
“This is the biggest crowd I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Wright said.
Another teacher, Nathan Pridgen, said there was plenty of excitement in the atmosphere and he believes the team can only improve.
“As they get more in-game experience, I think they can be competitive for years,” Pridgen said.
For the players, the season was an enjoyable journey. Caleb Griffin said the team never gave up throughout.
“We didn’t have a lot of big (low moments),” Griffin said. “Everyone tried their best and we didn’t let up. I wish we could’ve beat Parrott, but we made some mistakes in the fourth quarter. It was still a fun season.”
Scott Sanderson said the team surpassed the expectations of most.
It was really an emotional season,” Sanderson said. “We wanted to win more, but we did a lot better than anyone expected. There’s always next season.”
