How To Build A Championship Caliber Football Team at a Small School.

Rocky will play for a SSAA State Championship on November 16 at Destin Middle School. What do you want to achieve in this game?

“I mean, think one, we want to show, so we’re in year two of our program here. This is my second year here and our staff. And I think we want to show just everyone, including folks here at Rocky, where this program is headed, that this is going to be the norm for us.”

What are the hallmarks of this team? What will people who have not seen them play this year notice about them?

“Well, they’re going to see a team that’s very physical, plays with a ton of heart and passion. Pretty complex on offense, defense. Like I said, we have smart kids and we’re able to do a lot of things with them, even on the fly. But you’re see a team plays with great discipline and loves each other. And I think that’s the most fun part as a coach is watching the way this team has grown to really, really love each other. And it doesn’t matter who’s making the play.

No one is selfish. No one’s thinking me first. It’s all team first and even though we’re undersized, we’re extremely physical. Don’t back down from from anybody and so I hope that hope that comes through on Saturday one more time. What do want people to know about this football program? This school or this game? Yeah, so one just a program that that seeks first to honor Christ and then, when you’re chasing excellence in all those facets, good things tend to happen. As we’ve chased excellence in our integrity and our character and our love for each other and the way we approach and work, the good things happen on the football field as well. And hopefully they see that this is what Rocky Bayou is going to be, that we’re pursuing excellence, most importantly in our identity in Christ. But then as we chase excellence in that regard and other facets of our life, good things are happening at this school. And I think it’s been demonstrated in the turnaround of our season and rattled off five straight wins, haven’t lost a football game in 54 days and now getting to play for a championship. I think it’s saying it speaks to our students ability to learn and grow and get better.”

What college or professional team does Rocky Bayou Christian School play the most like?

“I’ll tell you who I love to watch and wanna be like is Navy. And it’s kind of this sense of a smaller place, it’s somewhat hard to get into. But also talk about doing more with less, kind of year in and year out. They are not the biggest, nor are we, but [both teams] still play super physical, play really aggressive, and [Navy’s players] really smart. And so they’re able to do some really complex stuff. I think we have that ability here. I think we have really smart kids, so we’re able to be pretty complex on offense and defense and pick things up on the fly.”

Rocky Bayou is a smaller school than most. How do you turn out a competitive team on the field?

“We had to get in our in our hallways and find the athletes who weren’t playing football. You hopefully you sell [potential players] on the fact that football – especially at a place like [Rocky Bayou] – where what you’re trying to do is disciple young people, trying to make champions for Christ and that football is one of the best venues to do that.

What does a good football season do for a school?

“I think it’s a springboard. I think when you have a fall season like this, it affects everything you do. There’s just an air of positivity, an air of school spirit now. Not that wasn’t there, but it’s just enhanced and gotten stronger. Our attendance has gone up each game. This past week, our playoff game, we got to host and it was packed. It was awesome. So I think it just sets the school up for an awesome rest of the year as far as

You know, we’re not in different silos. We’re all one school having a great year, and our athletics will benefit because these guys will go from this sport to their next sports.”

Why play in the Sunshine State Athletic Association instead of the FHSAA?

“As you look at what makes up the SSAA and what their purpose is, it’s putting teams out there that are like-minded in who they are. These schools have similar identities, whether many of us are Christian schools or Catholic schools, but then we also have private and charter for kids who are looking for just a better education than maybe public school has to offer. And so I think what it does is it takes like-minded schools [with] like-minded identities and puts us on the field and gives us opportunities to play teams that we should be on the field with from both an athletic standpoint and just from a school standpoint and who they are. And so we love the league. It’s so well-ran [sic] and well organized and the teams we’ve played have been have been awesome. We’ve created some great experiences and friendships with coaches and different things. You know, getting to pray with teams after games and things like that. It’s really been an awesome experience for our kids.”