Fayetteville Christian ‘having fun’ after switch to 8-man football
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
The smiles were wide and the sweat was pouring on Wednesday afternoon at Fayetteville Christian School as 15 football players went through practice in preparation for another Friday night under the lights.
After two seasons of futility for the Warriors, who went 0-19 over that stretch with a few forfeits sprinkled in, the school decided to transition from 11-man football to 8-man football in 2019.
The numbers remain low, but the mood is quite a contrast to the last few years. The team’s senior leaders — Connor Blake, Daniel Floyd, Laterrion Johnson and Travonte Robinson — can feel a difference in every practice and each game.
“This year was breaking the ice, breaking that streak,” Blake said.
“What we’re doing here is definitely setting up a culture that’s more positive towards the football program. .... It’s just been a rebuilding process. I would say it’s been a great journey. Even through the losses, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and a lot about our weaknesses.”
Blake has seen the losses pile up during his time with the Warriors, who finished with an 0-9 mark last season and haven’t had a winning season since 2005.
But after losing 44-26 at Faith Christian in its season opener, Fayetteville Christian traveled to Greenville on Sept. 7 to face John Paul II Catholic.
The Warriors returned to Fayetteville with a 38-22 win for their first victory since Oct. 21, 2016.
“It just felt like we won the state championship,” said Robinson. “It was so big for us because we hadn’t got to that point of success yet. It was big for us.”
Blake added: “Wow. I think that’s the only thing that was really going through my mind.”
Johnson described the moment as a “big relief.”
“It felt amazing,” Johnson said with a smile. “We were all just dancing, having fun. It just felt great — something different.”
Different is the key word in 2019 for the Warriors, who scored just 50 total points over 19 games in their previous two seasons. This season, Fayetteville Christian (1-2) has scored 98 points through three games for an average of 32.6 per contest.
“It’s awesome knowing that the same team that had been losing games, they all just came out with a different mindset this year,” Robinson said.
When losing becomes the norm, it’s hard to turn the corner. Now, Johnson feels the team is finally gaining some traction in the right direction.
“Once you lose back to back three years, it’s like you’re coming in and you think you’re gonna lose again,” Johnson said.
“Once you see your teammates working hard … and you actually see the results on the field, it feels great.”
Blake gives a lot of credit to first-year head coach Nelson Soriano. The program made three coaching changes in less than a year before turning to Seriano earlier this year.
“He’s definitely the kind of coach that we need,” Blake said.
“He’s got a very optimistic attitude. He points out your mistakes and tells you to fix them. The only reason that a coach fusses is because he cares. It just shows that he really cares.”
Blake continued to praise Soriano’s “positive impact” and the coach’s emphasis on perfecting the fundamentals.
“What we’ve tried to install right now is a sense of ownership, a sense of responsibility of your little part of the world,” Soriano said. “That’s our biggest thing. I don’t care about what’s happening in the game, just win your battle. That’s what we’re doing.”
“It’s a sigh of relief,” said Floyd, the team’s quarterback. “It’s been a long time since ninth grade.”
For Johnson, something as simple as belief goes a long way in helping to turn things around.
“It’s been pretty rough, but I can say that we really came up since then … every year we’ve gotten better and better,” he said.
“Now that the coaches actually believe in us, it’s more fun because now we can have something to believe in.”
The head coach has taken notice of the different attitude from his squad.
“It’s been amazing seeing them understand the game and fly around,” Soriano said. “You can feel the team pride and school pride building some more.”
Robinson, who described his journey as “crazy and good at the same time,” wants the team to keep that mindset throughout the season.
“Captains try to get the team to stay humble and stuff,” he said. “Don’t let them settle for just one win this season. Keep pushing for more wins.”
The next opportunity comes Friday at Rocky Mount Academy. Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
The smiles were wide and the sweat was pouring on Wednesday afternoon at Fayetteville Christian School as 15 football players went through practice in preparation for another Friday night under the lights.
After two seasons of futility for the Warriors, who went 0-19 over that stretch with a few forfeits sprinkled in, the school decided to transition from 11-man football to 8-man football in 2019.
The numbers remain low, but the mood is quite a contrast to the last few years. The team’s senior leaders — Connor Blake, Daniel Floyd, Laterrion Johnson and Travonte Robinson — can feel a difference in every practice and each game.
“This year was breaking the ice, breaking that streak,” Blake said.
“What we’re doing here is definitely setting up a culture that’s more positive towards the football program. .... It’s just been a rebuilding process. I would say it’s been a great journey. Even through the losses, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and a lot about our weaknesses.”
Blake has seen the losses pile up during his time with the Warriors, who finished with an 0-9 mark last season and haven’t had a winning season since 2005.
But after losing 44-26 at Faith Christian in its season opener, Fayetteville Christian traveled to Greenville on Sept. 7 to face John Paul II Catholic.
The Warriors returned to Fayetteville with a 38-22 win for their first victory since Oct. 21, 2016.
“It just felt like we won the state championship,” said Robinson. “It was so big for us because we hadn’t got to that point of success yet. It was big for us.”
Blake added: “Wow. I think that’s the only thing that was really going through my mind.”
Johnson described the moment as a “big relief.”
“It felt amazing,” Johnson said with a smile. “We were all just dancing, having fun. It just felt great — something different.”
Different is the key word in 2019 for the Warriors, who scored just 50 total points over 19 games in their previous two seasons. This season, Fayetteville Christian (1-2) has scored 98 points through three games for an average of 32.6 per contest.
“It’s awesome knowing that the same team that had been losing games, they all just came out with a different mindset this year,” Robinson said.
When losing becomes the norm, it’s hard to turn the corner. Now, Johnson feels the team is finally gaining some traction in the right direction.
“Once you lose back to back three years, it’s like you’re coming in and you think you’re gonna lose again,” Johnson said.
“Once you see your teammates working hard … and you actually see the results on the field, it feels great.”
Blake gives a lot of credit to first-year head coach Nelson Soriano. The program made three coaching changes in less than a year before turning to Seriano earlier this year.
“He’s definitely the kind of coach that we need,” Blake said.
“He’s got a very optimistic attitude. He points out your mistakes and tells you to fix them. The only reason that a coach fusses is because he cares. It just shows that he really cares.”
Blake continued to praise Soriano’s “positive impact” and the coach’s emphasis on perfecting the fundamentals.
“What we’ve tried to install right now is a sense of ownership, a sense of responsibility of your little part of the world,” Soriano said. “That’s our biggest thing. I don’t care about what’s happening in the game, just win your battle. That’s what we’re doing.”
“It’s a sigh of relief,” said Floyd, the team’s quarterback. “It’s been a long time since ninth grade.”
For Johnson, something as simple as belief goes a long way in helping to turn things around.
“It’s been pretty rough, but I can say that we really came up since then … every year we’ve gotten better and better,” he said.
“Now that the coaches actually believe in us, it’s more fun because now we can have something to believe in.”
The head coach has taken notice of the different attitude from his squad.
“It’s been amazing seeing them understand the game and fly around,” Soriano said. “You can feel the team pride and school pride building some more.”
Robinson, who described his journey as “crazy and good at the same time,” wants the team to keep that mindset throughout the season.
“Captains try to get the team to stay humble and stuff,” he said. “Don’t let them settle for just one win this season. Keep pushing for more wins.”
The next opportunity comes Friday at Rocky Mount Academy. Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
