FPD football sees opportunity as season winds down
About a month ago, the FPD football program hit a rough patch.
Already light on experience -- FPD started the season with just three returning starters on offense -- the Vikings encountered some struggles following a 2-1 start. FPD was shut out for the second straight year by a Lincoln County squad that's still unbeaten, and then the Vikings endured a 20-point loss to GHSA Region 7A-A leader and neighborhood rival Stratford.
Two weeks ago came what arguably was the low point: a 21-3 lead at Mount de Sales that turned into a 22-21 loss.
At 2-4, not much was going right for the Vikings. But there was still a desire to get things turned around, starting with Friday's game against Tattnall Square.
"The practice intensity picked up," senior running back/linebacker Dontrez Johnson said. "We got tired of losing, and we said we weren't going to lose the game. We just worked hard, and things happened for us."
What happened was a 21-point fourth quarter that propelled the Vikings to a 31-6 win over Tattnall, a win the team hopes will serve as a launching point for what happens the rest of the season.
Johnson scored all four of the Vikings' touchdowns against Tattnall, with the final two he scored in the fourth quarter being big ones. He broke open a 68-yard touchdown run, and he also had a 70-yard interception return for a score.
He's also one of FPD's captains, one of a small group of seniors tasked with bringing the young team along.
"Obviously we're still learning and still getting better, but it's really rewarding to begin to see the team find its identity a little bit," FPD head coach Greg Moore said. "We had a rough two-to-three week stretch, and that adversity kind of forged us into the kind of team that we want to be thanks to our seniors and their leadership. They really hung together and bonded this thing the way we would like it to be. It's a great thing to be a part of as a coach, and I'm really proud of this team."
FPD (3-4, 1-2 Region 7A-A) has a trip to Wilkinson County on Friday before closing the regular season with a home game against Twiggs County and a region crossover game that also will be at home. While a trip to the postseason is still a possibility with a strong finish -- the Vikings are 19th in this week's Class A private school power ratings -- Moore wants to have his team concentrate more on week-to-week development.
Both Wilkinson County (5-2, 2-1) and Twiggs County (3-4, 2-1) would qualify for the Class A public school playoffs if the postseason started today.
"Wilkinson County presents a lot of problems, but prior to the last week or so, we were presenting a lot of our own problems," Moore said. "I think those days are past us now, and it's a good thing to see."
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 7:12 PM with the headline "FPD football sees opportunity as season winds down ."