By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Second year Fluco football coach Mitchell Pace goes into the 2024 season with some bad news and some good news. The bad news, which really is actually good news, when considered in non-football terms, is that 17 seniors from the 2023 team have moved on. That means that there are a lot of vacancies to fill. The good news is that some outstanding players are returning and that the Fluvanna JV football team suffered only one loss in 2023 and won the Jefferson District JV title. There will be some talent to fill those vacancies.
Pace will have a lot of athletes to choose from, with about 100 students trying out for varsity and JV. Outstanding returnees include linebacker Benny Denby, running back Sam Loving and quarterback Will Lambert. They are all juniors. All three will play both ways as will most of Pace’s starters. Denby is an outstanding tight end/wide receiver on offense. Pace said that Denby has signed to play linebacker at William and Mary. Loving will play in the secondary on defense. He is an outstanding three sport athlete, who is also a Fluco basketball player and baseball standout. Lambert had an impressive season in 2023 as a starter at quarterback, and will contribute at defensive back. Pace expects he will use Loving as an all-purpose player in his offense, at halfback, fullback and as a receiver. He expects opposition coaches will scheme to keep Denby from getting the ball.
The offensive and defensive line are always a concern for Fluco football teams, at least since Walt Stribling was knocking opponents down. Pace does have some strong returnees. He cites the Johnsons, CJ and Zeke, who are not related, and who will likely play both ways. Pace is hoping that his offensive line will “come around”. He expects his defense to be stingier this season than it was in 2023.
Joining Loving at running back will be Logan Wade and speedster Matt Rae, who is moving up from JV. Two seniors Andre McCloud and Michael Gaines are expected to contribute to the offense at wide receiver. Pace also looks to strong contributions from hard working Ethan McPherson at linebacker and from Kyle Harris at safety and/or linebacker. The Fluco kicking game, which was not strong in 2023, is still uncertain.
Pace was quick to note that two of his top players from 2023 have moved to the next level. Offensive lineman Christian Lambert is playing at Bridgewater college and defensive lineman/running back Marcus Dickerson is playing with the post-graduate football team at FUMA.
The Flucos’ first home game will be on Aug. 30 against Broadway High. After that, they do not play at home until Oct. 4, when they host Albemarle High.
