Friday night lights return with a new head coach who looks to bring a whole new meaning to the culture of Patriot football. With him also comes a new starting quarterback.
With the loss of head coach Ivan Hicks, the Patriots had to find a replacement who was eager to bring a fresh start to the program. New head coach and alumnus Patrick Bernardo has coached football at the collegiate level at Salisbury University and Stevenson University. “This is my first high school coaching job, but I have been coaching for a long time, and coaching was something I always wanted to do when I was a student here,” Bernardo said.
The Patriots have also lost senior wide receiver Bryan Ngouzo and junior quarterback Hunter Humphries, who both now play for the Patriots’ rival, Winston Churchill. Senior Ethan Knighten has taken the role of starting quarterback paired with senior wide receiver Ashton Ingram. Knighten holds himself to a high standard to be the best player on the field. “The expectations I have for my team are to show up every single day with the best attitude and effort. Same goes for me,” Knighten said.
The Patriots opened the season at Rockville on Sept. 5. Patriot wide receiver Ashton Ingram scored an opening kickoff touchdown. At halftime, the Patriots were up 21-0, but Rockville crept back and was able to make it 21-20. After the Patriots got a safety to extend their lead to 23, running back Josh Reid scored again with a rushing touchdown. Followed by a forced fumble and return by linebacker Jude Ampofo, the final result of the game was 37-26 Patriots.
A football analyst for the MoCo show predicted the Patriots losing to Rockville by a landslide. Sophomore Cormac Hull and the team said that they would be able to pull off a statement underdog win. Hull credited the win to the coaches as they prepared the team specifically on special teams, suggesting the reason for Ingram’s return. “Our coach demonstrated the immense importance special teams has on the outcome of the game, like how special teams won us the game and us having an opening kickoff return,” Hull said.
Bernardo’s goals go beyond winning games; he emphasizes building strong relationships with the players. He said that simply being good at a sport does not make someone a good coach, but being able to teach them how things work and what coaches expect is a key to success. “At the end of the day, it’s about young people growing, not just them understanding how football works, but we are also here to teach them life lessons, and I think sports have something special to it,” Bernardo said.
From being taught by physical education teacher James Long to working alongside him, Bernardo has the experience the school needs. At the beginning of the season, the coaching staff wanted the players to understand their expectations and have a plan to lay the foundation for a successful season. “My expectations for what practice is like, what weight lifting looks like and what participation looks like, so getting them to understand that and buying into the culture,” Bernardo said.
As for the rest of the season, their ability to play well comes from their strengths. The team listens to Bernardo, and there is a fine line of transparency. “Them coming together during practice and outside practice is what we do particularly well,” Bernardo said.
Their next game is tonight against Damascus.
