A tradition like no other

The last year has seen many firsts for T.J. Albert.

After moving to North Carolina in 2011, Albert accepted the role of starting the Community School of Davidson football program.

From the first team meeting to the first practice to the first game, Albert has seen the football program transform from a concept into a Friday night reality.

While the first episode of Spartan football – an 82-6 loss at Lake Norman Charter – didn’t exactly go as scripted, Albert and the team are focusing on the future.

“Just to take the field and playing in that game was a huge win for the school, the players and their parents and the CSD community, overall,” Albert said. “To have high school football here is a big deal. Of course, we’re not in this for moral victories. But we have to build this program one game at a time.”

The Spartans’ building block in week one was historic, as junior quarterback Ike Gordon found classmate Jake Bernardini on an eight-yard fade pattern in the corner of the end zone for a score. The touchdown was not only the first in the school’s history, but it sparked an eruption on enthusiasm from the Spartan sideline, players, coaches and fans alike, who all believe it was the start of something special.

“It was something none of us will ever forget, and I don’t think any of us remembered what the score was (at the time),” Albert said. “Our entire sideline exploded, and that is something we hope to experience a lot more in the future.”

A great foundation for success is the Spartans’ coaching staff.

Albert, who played safety at Georgia Southern (and is also the CSD head baseball coach), brings a wealth of experience after coaching high school football in New York and California. His staff is equally impressive, with assistants like Kevin Feighery, former practice squad punter for the Carolina Panthers; Kevin Burton, former Appalachian State wideout; Keith Knag, former South Carolina defensive back; and Buzz Wilkey, a former quarterback at Elon.

Albert and his staff hope to develop their 26-man roster to its full potential in 2012, with the hopes that they can start to compete on a higher level in 2013 and beyond.

“Going into this season, we were never going to measure ourselves on wins and losses,” Albert said. “We are not just trying to develop a team, but also a program that competes year-in and year-out.”

The Spartan offense has the potential to be difficult to stop as they run the Delaware Wing-T, a formation that can be hard to prepare for each week. The Wing T is characterized by a wingback in the slot just behind the tight end and a split end on the weak side,

Gordon, who is in his first year at quarterback, will run the show because he is one of the team’s best athletes, according to Albert.

Gordon has juniors Zac Ware and Garrett Hart on the wings, with freshman Joey Bernardini at fullback.

Junior offensive tackle Holden Bailey (6-3, 250) is probably the Spartans’ most complete player, according to Albert, and will lead the offensive and defensive lines.

Community School of Davidson won’t pass a lot in its first year, but when they do, Jake Bernardini and tight ends Noah Watts and Nick Piselli are the best options.

The Spartans will also need to stop people if they are going to stay in games this season on defense.

Bailey also leads the defensive line with junior Christian Nichols and classmate Carson Talbert, who also doubles as the team’s kicker and punter. Meanwhile, Hart and Ware also go both ways as the team’s top linebackers, while cornerback Joey Bernardini and safety Jake Wolynak are both big factors in the secondary.

But no matter who is playing, Albert and his team have a tall order with a varsity schedule that includes local rivals like Cannon School, First Assembly and SouthLake Christian, with more regional matchups like Patton, Spartanburg Christian and Westminster Catawba.

“This is a process (starting a football program) that you have to be patient and take things one day at a time,” Albert said. “We want to keep improving every practice, every game. Right now, I’m talking about 4-5 guys a lot. Hopefully, it’s six or seven players next week. Then, eventually we have 20-30 guys (that stand out).”

For now, Albert is content to celebrate the small victories and firsts in nearly everything his team does.

“Starting a football program is a great opportunity for all of us,” Albert said. “But it is also a big challenge. I think how we handle this first year, and then what we take from it and learn from it, will establish what we are all about in the future.”

This story went to print before CSD’s game at Cherryville on Aug. 24.