FOOTBALL TAB: Preseason trip to Ronald McDonald House beneficial for Eagles

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on August 22, 2014 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

aetzler@newsargus.com

A week into the football season, the Rosewood football team took a trip to Greenville.

The Eagles visited East Carolina University and checked out Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. It was a cool experience for many of the players, but it wasn't the point of the trip.

Later in the day they visited children in the pediatric hospital and gave them Rosewood footballs and T-shirts. They left and headed for the Ronald McDonald House, where they helped move files and miscellaneous objects from the attic.

"(Offensive line coach) Jason (King's) sister works at the Ronald McDonald House in Greenville and said they could use the help so we thought it would be a good opportunity for the guys to give back," head coach Robert Britt said. "I think (the players) got as much out of it as the kids."

It was an act of service to the community and it was only for a couple of hours, but the team made a difference. And, the football lessons that head coach Robert Britt wanted them to grasp weren't lost on the players.

"We wanted to them realize that life is about helping the person next to you," Britt said. "We wanted them to not think of themselves in this instant and think of helping others. That transfers to the football field. You're playing for other people and not just yourself."

The Ronald McDonald House staff said what the Eagles team did in an hour probably would have taken two weeks to do.

The moment put life in perspective for others.

"To see what those kids are going through on a daily basis and they light up and smile over a football or a shirt," said senior offensive lineman Tyree Chavious, who posted pictures of the day on his Twitter account.

"It made an impact. It made me a better person and a better player, too. It's going to help me fight through when I'm having a bad day or running our sprints at the end of practice."

*

Rosewood is coming off a 4-8 season that included an opening-round loss to Whiteville in the state 1-AA playoffs.

A young group gained playing experience and developed chemistry on the varsity level. This year's team, that features a large senior class, knows how far working for the man beside them can take them.

The Eagles return five starters on offense, including Chavious. The big left tackle has verbally committed to James Madison University and is being counted on to help the offense adjust to its new spread zone read option scheme.

His most important job is to protect the blindside of sophomore starting quarterback Cameron Helt. Helt, who saw time on varsity on defense as a freshman is taking over for Jacob Sasser, who is now a freshman at Methodist University.

"He's a running-style quarterback," Britt said. "He's got some experience, he's a tough kid. I'm sure he'll have some growing to occur, but we think he's got a chance to be pretty good."

Along with Sasser, Rosewood also lost leading rusher Jamari McGowan, who ran for 993 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mike Woodard is one of the players pegged to replace McGowan after he rushed for 600 yards and scored six TDs as a sophomore.

The Eagles ran a lot of plays under center and operated some out of the shotgun in their Wing-T scheme last season. This year, in the new spread scheme, the Eagles are operating out of shotgun 99 percent of the time. Helt will inherit a lot of responsibility since he is the player who has to read the defense and decide where the ball will go.

*

The Eagles are sticking with the multiple 50-front defensive scheme they've run in the past and counting on two-year starter Garner Beasley to control the middle of the field from his linebacker spot.

Britt returns nine starters, many of whom have played alongside each other for a number of seasons.

"They've aged and they're battle-proven," Britt said. "I think it's their turn to have a good year."

The experience that Rosewood brings to the table this season is one of the reasons the players appear to gel as well as they do.

"We all get along and we help one another," Chavious said. "Hopefully, you will see that on the field."