Back Row: Remington Strickland, George Obote II, Tony Saa, Ryan Matta, Robert Walter, Claude Minkandi and Aidan McDonald; Front Row: Solomon Cole, JD Migl and Justin Cox
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR CAN MAKE
In 2018, Fort Bend Christian Academy only played eight football games. The Eagles had to forfeit the final two games because they did not have enough players to field a football team. A year later, a new head coach and a new energy around the program - which went from 15 to 40-plus players on the roster - Fort Bend Christian Academy played its full 10-game regular season schedule.
"I think it's huge for this school, in all honestly. Last year was the death penalty for us," Fort Bend Christian Academy coach Jordan Black said. "Just re-energizing the school, getting guys interested in football again, teaching the guys to compete, that's the hump we had to get over. Now that we did, I think we'll be a force in the district."
Heading into this season, Fort Bend Christian Academy was coming off a 1-7 year. The first goal was to finish the full 10-game slate and collect some more wins. The Eagles did just that, matching their win total from a year ago with a 53-52 overtime victory against Brazos in week one. They then rattled off wins against Tomball Christian Homeschool, Village School, Cypress Christian and finally Westbury Christian in the regular season finale to push their record to 5-4 which clinched a playoff spot.
The school and community took notice.
"It was hard getting anybody in the stands last year but now we've got a student body that's excited about it," Black said. "We've got people at our games, which is great. Parents seemed to be excited, so the atmosphere at school has been a lot different than it has been in the past. But at the same time, we've got a long way to go."
The Eagles made the playoffs and fell to Regents in the first round. But just the fact that they were a playoff team in 2019 was nothing short of a miraculous turnaround.
JD Migl – an honorablemention, all-state selection – led the team at quarterback. The junior passed for 2,082 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for another 942 yards and 14 scores. Claude Minkandi led the rushing attack with 1,112 yards and 14 scores, while Caleb Howard was the top wideout with 726 yards on 40 grabs. Offensive lineman Remington Strickland earned second-team, all-state honors and is being highly recruited.
Solomon Cole, Tony Saa, Greg Obote II, Robert Walter and Howard earned all-district nods on offense as well. Jalon Zuber, Blaine Baird and Cole led the defensive unit. Zuber and punter Julian Hood were first-team, all-district picks. Strickland, Cole, Walter, Seth Montanye, Aidan McDonald and Justin Cox also earned all-district accolades on the defensive side of the ball.
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