“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”
ó Confucious
By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
This year, for sure. That’s the battle cry for the Carson Cougars, who begin their third season of football in two weeks.
They’re still on the road to victory.
Twenty-two consecutive losses haven’t dampened the confidence of the 2008 Cougars. In fact, they’re not even thinking about losing.
“This is the first year we’ve had a majority of the seniors starting,” Cougar hulk D.J. Safrit said. “I’m extremely confident that we’re not going to win just one game. We’re going to win many.”
Head coach Mark Woody senses the enthusiasm. A large group of Cougars spent the entire summer in the weightroom. He sees bigger bodies. He sees faster times in the 40.
But …
“The kids and the coaches are excited about what we’re going to do,” Woody said. “But all of that doesn’t matter until you do it. That’s just how it is.”
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Woody came to Carson from Northern Durham in 2006 for his first head coaching job. He found a group of mostly undersized freshmen and sophomores.
First game in Carson history: a 41-0 loss to Sun Valley.
“I had my eyes opened that first year,” Woody said. “I had great plans of “we’re going to do this and this and this. After that first week, I realized what I had gotten myself into. It was extreme eye-opener.
“They didn’t have a clue what they were getting into at Sun Valley,” Woody said.
It got worse By the end of the season, the Cougars had been outscored 423-74.
“I don’t know that Lou Holtz could’ve done any better at that time,” Woody said.
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The second year was a little better. Carson had three legitimate chances to win.
That’s when Woody ordered a weight program. The first day of practice, those same kids who were once puny sophomores and freshmen were suddenly men.
Daniel Yates pulled off his shirt and looked like The Rock.
Safrit had transformed himself into a college recruit. All 283 pounds of him.
Woody also admires his secondary, now a solid, experienced unit. Scott Ashby, Jensen Harden, Zack Grkman and Joseph Keophilavanh are impressive.
“That’s a tight-knit bunch,” Woody smiled. “We knew they’d be special. They’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
But isn’t everybody?
Woody said yes ó even his ninth-grade class. Two seasons ago, they played like deer in the headlights. But they have followed the lead of the 22 seniors on the roster.
“Now, everybody has a confidence I haven’t seen,” Woody said.
Even more surprising is that Carson will have speed like never before. Yates is one of the North Piedmont Conference’s top sprinters. Sean Warren has plenty of quickness.
“Don’t tell anybody,” Woody joked, “but we probably have more speed than people think. The defense is not slow anywhere. And we like people thinking we are.”
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But maybe, just maybe, the different mindset is more of a mental thing.
Quarterback Ryan Jones said that bonding over the summer has as much to do with the newfound confidence as anything.
“We were here all summer,” the redhead said. “Everybody went out to eat together. Or we’d go over to somebody’s house. It meant a lot.”
It’s up to the seniors like Jones and Safrit to make sure the freshmen and sophomores get to experience what they never have ó winning.
“I’m not really one to go out there and hoot and holler ó unless I get mad,” Safrit smiled. “I just do what needs to be done and get the younger guys to follow in my footsteps.”
Woody said he felt the Cougars are still a year away, but who says they can’t start turning the program around a season early?
“They’re excited about playing,” Woody said. “And they are ready to win.”
This year, for sure.