Football Finishes Strong in Challenging Season

Tholoi Selli, Staff Writer

In 2021, Averett athletic teams witnessed certain changes that they have never had to deal with before. There were many roadblocks that could have prevented an athletic season this spring but through precise attention to detail, athletes were given a chance to compete. As Covid-19 is still very much active, football players were to take Covid tests on a selected day each week. The challenge for these players was sizable due to the simple fact that it is the largest team in Averett athletics.

Even with that task, it was quite impressive to know that Averett football had zero positive tests for Covid-19 and enjoyed a healthy but shortened season. This spring, the Averett football team went 1-3 in a condensed season with new head coach Patrick Henry at the helm. Henry’s first win as a head coach came in the third game of the season. That was when Averett traveled to North Carolina Wesleyan and won by a score of 33-29 in a valiant comeback effort.

This season was different from any other because the team had to adjust their schedule on the fly due to Covid-19, and even find games to play against healthy teams that weren’t on the original schedule for the week.

“What we learned this year was keeping our focus because with everything going on in the world, it’s hard to dial in on one thing,”senior Nautica McCallum said.

Focus seemed to be the driving force behind this past season as there were possible obstacles and temptations that could have kept players off of the field but through perseverance, the players were able to work under these rough circumstances.

“It took a lot of preparation and getting used to the new ‘norm’ but we all got through the guidelines so we could focus on what we had to do on the field,” senior Trajon Mills said.

Although this season did not go as planned, the experience that was gained through Covid-19 will surely give these players the upper hand as they will face schools who opted out of their spring seasons.
With an expected full 10 game season in the fall, the Averett football team looks to improve on their record and get back to pursuing a conference championship.