Florence Christian football team lost a few players to more than just graduation
Eagles do return Region Defensive Player of the Year in Hayden Schwab
Florence – Losing players to graduation is part of life for a high school head coach. It’s inevitable so you do the best you can to adjust to the losses.
However, sometimes other parts of life can throw an unexpected monkey wrench into the mix. That’s what Florence Christian School football head coach Neil Minton is dealing with this summer.
Along with losing eight seniors, the Eagles also lost three players to families moving.
“We’re lacking depth in some spots, not only because of graduation but because some moved out of town, even out of state,” Minton said. “That’s the kind of thing that really hurts you with your special teams depth.
“We’ve got a good group of young guys playing. We’ve got a lot more experienced players in some spots.”
One place where FCS will have a lot of experience is at quarterback. Rising junior Riley Minton, the coach’s son, will be in his third season as a starter.
Minton completed 68 of 113 passes for 978 yards and four touchdowns last season as Florence Christian went 8-3 and lost to eventual SCISA AAA state champion Pinewood Prep in the semifinals of the state playoffs. He ran for 163 yards and five scores on 45 carries.
Florence Christian got in nine practices during the spring. Coach Minton has liked what he’s seen during the summer as well.
“We just want to work out hard and get in shape and be the best we can be,” he said. “I feel that we’re doing that. The kids are coming and working hard.
“We had a couple of throwing days in 7-on-7, and I thought we did fine. Defensively, I really like what I’m seeing. All the linebackers are back, That means we have a lot of continuity, and that makes me feel good.”
The Eagles will be replacing four player on the offensive line. That is obviously a major focus over the summer.
FCS does have the Region 2 Defensive Playe6r of the Year returning in senior defensive lineman Hayden Schwab.
Schwab had team highs in tackles with 97, tackles for loss with 11 ½ and quarterback sacks with eight to go along with returning an interception 43 yards for a touchdown, causing two fumbles and recovering another.
RILEY MINTON NAMED TO SCISA ALL-STATE BASEBALL TEAM
Riley Minton was selected to the SCISA All-State baseball team.
Minton was the top pitcher and had a 5-1 win-loss record to go with a 4.00 earned run average. At the plate, he led Florence
Christian in hitting with a .404 batting average. He was also the team leader in hits with 21 and runs scored with 19.
