Pataula Charter set to play first varsity game

EDISON — Eveything about Friday night will be a memory for Pataula Charter.

First varsity football game.

First time playing this close to home

First Friday night varsity game under the lights.

And when the Panthers storm onto the field to play Baconton Charter, the white jerseys, silver bottoms and shiny helmets are a result of three hard years of raising funds from selling raffle tickets to selling boston butts and relying on donations.

“It’s our first varsity game … I’m excited,” said sophomore David Bush. “We’re finally moving up to the big leagues. We’re excited to be knocking heads with Baconton.”

But there is more to the story than just a fledgling program playing its first varsity football game. Pataula Charter is beginning its seventh year and football was started in the middle school by Ricky Bantz in 2012. A junior varsity team was started in 2013 by principal and assistant coach Jim Morrell.

With the exception of Morrell, who was employed by the school, there were no coaching supplements. Teams were coached by dads and volunteers.

Almost like home

With the school fielding its first senior class this year, administrators felt like the time was right to play the first varsity schedule. Pataula will play a seven-game, nonregion schedule and Trey Harrell, who also coaches the school’s baseball program, will guide the football team.

While the school is just beginning a massive building project and hopes to have its new school completed by the fall of 2017, the football team doesn’t have a home field. There is no money in the budget to build sports facilities, so the athletic teams will likely have to resort to raising funds again. In past seasons, the school played its home games at the old Randolph Southern Academy in Shellman. However, those plans were shelved when the Stem Academy opened.

That’s where Morrell, a former head coach at Hawkinsville and Harris County, went to work. With Calhoun County High School just across the street, Morrell met with with administators and the athletic director to see if Pataula could use the stadium.

“Calhoun County has been gracious to allow us to use their stadium,” Morrell said. “When I met with the superintendent and the athletic director, thay asked what they could do to help. With three or four of our home games on our schedule, Calhoun was on the road. That is huge. I think that is going to open the door for us to do some things academically with them.”

Baby steps

Harrell doesn’t expect instant success. He knows that like a toddler taking small steps, his football program is going to have to make gradual progress.

“We preach small victories … one play at a time,” Harrell said. “We might take some losses, but more importantly did you do what you were told? Did you do what you were coached to do? Did you play to the whistle? We know it’s going to have to be small steps.”

But no matter how many mistakes the Panthers make Friday night, it won’t temper the school’s excitement.

Morrell, who regularly drives a school bus in the afternoon, said he overheard several students say they were going to the football game tonight.

Senior Josh Wilkerson isn’t sure what to expect.

“I’m nervous,” he said. “But I think once the first play is over, I’ll be fine. But until that first play happens, I’m going to have some butterflies.”

So will the rest of the team. But then they’ll make plenty of memories.