The undefeated Fresno City College football team was running on all cylinders as they moved closer to winning the conference championship with a 51-21 victory over College of the Sequoias.
This season’s team is quite different from many of the recent winning teams. They have a defense that when called upon, answers with a vengeance.
“We teach kids how to play the game at a very physical and intense level,” said head coach, Tony Cavaglia. “I believe you have to practice like you play; you can’t practice soft and play hard.”
And that is exactly what goes on at an FCC football practice. The defensive line coach can be heard pointing out the players’ mistakes and showing the defenders where their hands should be when being blocked.
He even shouts out rules on how the players should conduct themselves on and off the field.
It’s a positive atmosphere where coaches and players are in tune. That is the way defensive coordinator Rick Sheidt sees it. “What’s good about this unit is that they watch film; they are in sync with the coaches,” said Sheidt. “We haven’t been the most dominant defense, but what we have always done is stayed positive. Our players stay hungry to make plays even if a team moves the ball on us.”
What Sheidt likes about his players is that they are well informed on knowing what the other teams’ tendencies are.
“They have to play smart football and if they are not physical, they are not in the right place on the field, or they are not playing the right sport,” says Sheidt.
Defensive back Duron Singleton is one of the Rams’ big hitters. One of his biggest hits this season was in a game against Modesto Junior College when he steamrolled the Pirates’ player.
Not only did the sound from the collision echo across the stadium, but the big hit fed the energy and the momentum that the team needed.
“Yeah, I just took my shot on him. I was trying to get a shot on somebody. He was running around, dancing; I saw the opportunity and took it,” said Singleton.
Many of the defensive players buy into what coach Caviglia and his staff are teaching them and it shows on the field.
Defensive lineman Keith Whittington made it clear that his coaches’ teachings are imbedded into his thoughts when he made the point that he “plays physical” because he “practices physical.”
“Our defense is all about team work. As long as we play as a team, we will succeed as a team,” said defensive lineman Core Childs.
Defensive lineman Alex Williams says, “I think it’s about working together and playing for the guy next to you.”