The animal woke up’
... inside Fayetteville Christian’s Jonathan Soriano, who has become a top tackler
By Rodd Baxley The Fayetteville Observer USA TODAY NETWORK
Often overlooked because of his lack of size, Jonathan Soriano isn’t bothered by looking up at other players on the football field.
That’s because Soriano knows, despite a 5-foot-8, 180-pound frame, that some of those players will be looking up at him with their backs on the ground.
“I’ve always been the smaller guy, so I’ve always had to work harder for everything that I have,” Soriano said.
“You gotta be a dog to compete. … That’s probably where I get my motor from.”
That drive helped him become one of the top linebackers in Fayetteville and the top defender at Fayetteville Christian School, where he’s entering his senior season under his father— second-year coach Nelson Soriano.
Nelson, who said Jonathan is “one of those players who was overlooked a lot,” saw his son lead the Warriors in tackles last season with an average of 15 per game.
The duo arrived at Fayetteville Christian with the Warriors in the midst of a 19-game losing streak. After making the switch from 11-man football to 8-man football, FCS extended that streak to 20 at the start of the 2019 campaign before winning two games to key the turnaround.
Jonathan’s journey to that point of production started in 2018 as a sophomore at Westover High School.
Starting out at Westover
During the Wolverines’ game at Lumberton that season, Jonathan got his chance to contribute and took full advantage of the opportunity with nine tackles, including three for loss, in a 26-25 win for the visitors.
On that night, Nelson added, “the animal woke up” inside his son.
“He’s a smaller kind of guy, but when he was let loose, he went into the game by accident and showed out,” Nelson recalled.
Now, Jonathan is the unquestioned leader of the Warriors, who will start their 2020 schedule tonight in Raleigh against Grace Christian.
But that transition from 11-man to 8-man football was “definitely different” for Soriano.
“It’s a lot faster and if someone messes up, it’s gonna show, because you don’t have the other three guys who are gonna help,” he added.
Then there’s the added pressure of playing for his father and balancing that relationship on and off the field.
“I’ve been playing underneath him my whole life, so I’ve learned to get along with him,” Jonathan said. “He looks at me as a coach on the field. He trusts me enough to make those decisions and I trust him enough to put it on me.”
“The good part is he hears me on the field and off the field, so his knowledge is much higher,” Nelson added. “He knows what I’m looking for and what to expect.”
After a “nerve-wracking” offseason that brought into play the possibility that the season might be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jonathan is excited to hit the field with his fellow seniors.
He doesn’t know how much football he has left in his career, but he’s certain he’ll be bringing his best every time he steps between those painted lines.
Jonathan isn’t ready to let the animal inside him rest just yet.
“We really were worried. For us, we don’t know if this might be it because we don’t know if we’re going to college to play football or not,” he said.
“We have to give it our all, and once we give it our all out here, we’ll see where God takes us.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
... inside Fayetteville Christian’s Jonathan Soriano, who has become a top tackler
By Rodd Baxley The Fayetteville Observer USA TODAY NETWORK
Often overlooked because of his lack of size, Jonathan Soriano isn’t bothered by looking up at other players on the football field.
That’s because Soriano knows, despite a 5-foot-8, 180-pound frame, that some of those players will be looking up at him with their backs on the ground.
“I’ve always been the smaller guy, so I’ve always had to work harder for everything that I have,” Soriano said.
“You gotta be a dog to compete. … That’s probably where I get my motor from.”
That drive helped him become one of the top linebackers in Fayetteville and the top defender at Fayetteville Christian School, where he’s entering his senior season under his father— second-year coach Nelson Soriano.
Nelson, who said Jonathan is “one of those players who was overlooked a lot,” saw his son lead the Warriors in tackles last season with an average of 15 per game.
The duo arrived at Fayetteville Christian with the Warriors in the midst of a 19-game losing streak. After making the switch from 11-man football to 8-man football, FCS extended that streak to 20 at the start of the 2019 campaign before winning two games to key the turnaround.
Jonathan’s journey to that point of production started in 2018 as a sophomore at Westover High School.
Starting out at Westover
During the Wolverines’ game at Lumberton that season, Jonathan got his chance to contribute and took full advantage of the opportunity with nine tackles, including three for loss, in a 26-25 win for the visitors.
On that night, Nelson added, “the animal woke up” inside his son.
“He’s a smaller kind of guy, but when he was let loose, he went into the game by accident and showed out,” Nelson recalled.
Now, Jonathan is the unquestioned leader of the Warriors, who will start their 2020 schedule tonight in Raleigh against Grace Christian.
But that transition from 11-man to 8-man football was “definitely different” for Soriano.
“It’s a lot faster and if someone messes up, it’s gonna show, because you don’t have the other three guys who are gonna help,” he added.
Then there’s the added pressure of playing for his father and balancing that relationship on and off the field.
“I’ve been playing underneath him my whole life, so I’ve learned to get along with him,” Jonathan said. “He looks at me as a coach on the field. He trusts me enough to make those decisions and I trust him enough to put it on me.”
“The good part is he hears me on the field and off the field, so his knowledge is much higher,” Nelson added. “He knows what I’m looking for and what to expect.”
After a “nerve-wracking” offseason that brought into play the possibility that the season might be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jonathan is excited to hit the field with his fellow seniors.
He doesn’t know how much football he has left in his career, but he’s certain he’ll be bringing his best every time he steps between those painted lines.
Jonathan isn’t ready to let the animal inside him rest just yet.
“We really were worried. For us, we don’t know if this might be it because we don’t know if we’re going to college to play football or not,” he said.
“We have to give it our all, and once we give it our all out here, we’ll see where God takes us.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
