Village Christian poised for state title
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
When Village Christian’s summer football workouts cranked up, newly installed head coach Emerson Martin found himself with a small but dedicated nucleus of returning players.
“And those eight kids worked together all summer,” Martin said. “It was important because it set the expectation of what I expected, what was required to be a part of this team. I think everyone else that’s come along has followed their lead.”
Half a year later, Village is making its second straight appearance in a NCISAA state final.
The Knights (8-4), the top seed in the Division III bracket, will host No. 3 Huntersville SouthLake Christian (5-6) at 7 p.m. Village finished as the Division II runner-up last season.
Over the summer, Village’s varsity roster grew to include close to 30 players, a sizeable team for the program, and the path of the team began to take shape.
Martin, who took over as Knights’ head coach following the exit of Russell Stone, aimed to do two things: raise the level of the players’ commitment to the team and increase the football IQ of everyone on the field.
The Knights’ roster is a mashup of returners and newcomers, the latter of which is formed out of former junior varsity players and transfers.
“Them together deciding that they wanted to do something special is the reason the team is here,” Martin said.
Kaleb Bowen is among that nucleus. A senior, Bowen starts at defensive tackle, and assistant coach Zach Russell has called him “the linchpin of the defense.”
Like most of the team, Bowen doesn’t play one position exclusively, lining up on offensive line and at fullback occasionally.
He said the team’s made strides every week and gotten smarter about in-game decision-making.
“We’ve gotten a lot stronger and faster since last year,” Bowen said. “The whole team has gotten better and improved our football IQ. Almost every game we got better.”
That improved football knowledge has been key, Martin said.
“From the development side, that’s the difference in where we are right now,” the coach said. “Our guys know why they have to be where they are on the field.”
Senior Celik Curtis is one of Knights’ new additions. Formerly at Bunn High School, Curtis trained with Martin in his football development program, Players 2 Pros, and transferred to Village when Martin took over.
He’s rarely been off the field since, lining up a defensive end, linebacker, running back and on special teams.
“I had to get used to playing everything, but I like to be anywhere I can help the team,” Curtis said. “That’s part of the success is everybody doing whatever it takes, all of us pushing and the coaches reminding us why we’re here.”
Those reminders have come more frequently since the start of the postseason. The Knights outscored their two playoff opponents by a combined deficit of 94-14, showings that bode well for the team heading into Friday night.
“We let people grow during the season. Now in the playoffs, we’ve scaled things back, simplified things and just let people play football.” Martin said. “We’ve taken the complications out of it, and as a result, we’re probably playing our best football right now.”
Martin said the team’s fate Friday ultimately comes back to the senior, many of them a part of that nucleus that’s held together since the summer.
“They don’t want to be remembered as the team that got all the way there and couldn’t do it,” Martin said. “It’s about them.” Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at jshambaugh@fayobserver. com or 609-0651.
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
When Village Christian’s summer football workouts cranked up, newly installed head coach Emerson Martin found himself with a small but dedicated nucleus of returning players.
“And those eight kids worked together all summer,” Martin said. “It was important because it set the expectation of what I expected, what was required to be a part of this team. I think everyone else that’s come along has followed their lead.”
Half a year later, Village is making its second straight appearance in a NCISAA state final.
The Knights (8-4), the top seed in the Division III bracket, will host No. 3 Huntersville SouthLake Christian (5-6) at 7 p.m. Village finished as the Division II runner-up last season.
Over the summer, Village’s varsity roster grew to include close to 30 players, a sizeable team for the program, and the path of the team began to take shape.
Martin, who took over as Knights’ head coach following the exit of Russell Stone, aimed to do two things: raise the level of the players’ commitment to the team and increase the football IQ of everyone on the field.
The Knights’ roster is a mashup of returners and newcomers, the latter of which is formed out of former junior varsity players and transfers.
“Them together deciding that they wanted to do something special is the reason the team is here,” Martin said.
Kaleb Bowen is among that nucleus. A senior, Bowen starts at defensive tackle, and assistant coach Zach Russell has called him “the linchpin of the defense.”
Like most of the team, Bowen doesn’t play one position exclusively, lining up on offensive line and at fullback occasionally.
He said the team’s made strides every week and gotten smarter about in-game decision-making.
“We’ve gotten a lot stronger and faster since last year,” Bowen said. “The whole team has gotten better and improved our football IQ. Almost every game we got better.”
That improved football knowledge has been key, Martin said.
“From the development side, that’s the difference in where we are right now,” the coach said. “Our guys know why they have to be where they are on the field.”
Senior Celik Curtis is one of Knights’ new additions. Formerly at Bunn High School, Curtis trained with Martin in his football development program, Players 2 Pros, and transferred to Village when Martin took over.
He’s rarely been off the field since, lining up a defensive end, linebacker, running back and on special teams.
“I had to get used to playing everything, but I like to be anywhere I can help the team,” Curtis said. “That’s part of the success is everybody doing whatever it takes, all of us pushing and the coaches reminding us why we’re here.”
Those reminders have come more frequently since the start of the postseason. The Knights outscored their two playoff opponents by a combined deficit of 94-14, showings that bode well for the team heading into Friday night.
“We let people grow during the season. Now in the playoffs, we’ve scaled things back, simplified things and just let people play football.” Martin said. “We’ve taken the complications out of it, and as a result, we’re probably playing our best football right now.”
Martin said the team’s fate Friday ultimately comes back to the senior, many of them a part of that nucleus that’s held together since the summer.
“They don’t want to be remembered as the team that got all the way there and couldn’t do it,” Martin said. “It’s about them.” Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at jshambaugh@fayobserver. com or 609-0651.
