How many football games have you watched this season? According to StatScore, 37% of Americans consider football the best sport to watch, play, or bet on. In fact, the National Football League (NFL) holds the highest average attendance record of any professional sports league in America, and high school football is no different. High school students regularly prepare for Friday night football games, whether home or away.
“Before football games, I like to go out to eat at either Blue 53 or El Vaquero and hang out with my friends, but during the game, I lock in and cheer for our team,” said senior and Fluco fan Robert Matics.
Not wanting to disappoint their fans is a major motivation for the Fluco varsity team, which practices on the turf or the practice field (known as “the swamp”) Mondays through Thursdays. They run drills from the end of school to 6:15 p.m., with Monday practices lasting until 7:00 p.m. The team also spends time in the weight room once a week on Mondays, working to build muscle and stamina, and conditions during the off-season to stay in shape.
“Practices are fun, energetic, and most of the time, very physical,” said Varsity Captain Christopher Johnson.
Fluvanna athletes share many fields, but the only field that has a field goal is the turf field, so that’s where they focus on their conditioning and plays.
“We go through our normal drills, then we work on plays as a team for both offense and defense. We usually work on field goals, kick offs, and kick returns,” said senior Jose Gonzalez Woodson.
The Fluco football players have played six games so far this season. As of Oct. 15, the varsity record is 3-3. As with most seasons, there have been some challenges, like their Oct. 11 21-27 loss to Western. Highlights include their 15-7 victory over Albemarle on Oct. 5, which marked the first time the Flucos have beaten Albemarle since in 20 years.
“I had my best play of the season during our Charlottesville game on Thursday, Sept. 26. I was playing defensive end when I blitzed [rushed the quarterback] and got by the tackle blocking me. I got to the quarterback and the other end, Christopher Johnson, and the nose guard, Oscar Rivera De Jesus, followed me to tackle the quarterback,” said junior Nathan Brown.
While the team has navigated some challenges this fall, their team captains–William Lambert, Benny Denby, and Christopher “C.J.” Johnson–have worked to help lead and keep the players focused.
“Our season has been going pretty good. We are getting better every day at practice, and hopefully, that keeps showing on Friday nights. Benny, C.J., and I are the leaders of the Fluvanna Varsity football team. As captains, we make sure the team is staying focused at practice and that the locker room stays clean,” said Lambert.
After three wins, the Varsity football team has only four more games in the season. Next up is the Homecoming game against Orange on Oct. 18 at the FCHS Stadium. The game will kick off at 7:15 p.m. For information on how to order tickets online and save by purchasing tickets in advance, see this article.
