WS Chronicle

The Kernersville Warriors are the new kids on the block when it comes to youth football in the area. Unfortunately for their opponents, the Warriors don’t play like it’s their first season, as all levels of the program are gearing up for playoff runs and playing well.

Bryan Davis, the program’s president, wanted to form an organization that focused only on the kids and their development on and off the field. He coached with another program in the area, but found the only way to do it the way he wanted was to create his own.

“I couldn’t spread my wings the way I needed to out there, so I decided to leave due to not having the people that was willing to support my vision and dream of what I wanted to do out there,” said Davis of why he chose to start his own program.

After leaving his former program, Davis contemplated what organization he wanted to coach with next. He was not able to find an ideal situation for him and his children, so he and his family came to the conclusion they would have to do it themselves.

“I talked to my lady one night and I said we might need to start our own thing and build it from the ground up and give these kids an experience like no other,” he said. “I have the resources, I have the means to be able to put it together, I just need the people to make it happen.

“Creating an organization has just given a neutral platform for a lot of parents and players that want to come out here and just have something different. Not taking anything from the other organizations that are run out here, but I didn’t want to create an organization to do the same thing that the next person is doing; that’s pointless.”

Davis wanted to create his organization with only one team, but the response from the community warranted he create several teams to accommodate the demand.

“Just ‘cause they knew me, they knew I was serious,” Davis said about the response to him starting his own organization. “It’s a lot of folks that have attempted to create an organization or start something up and they have fallen short due to what it takes, so when I put it out there, I didn’t think it was going to be what it was.”

Davis was contacted by coaches from several different age groups that wanted to be a part of the program, so he decided to take a shot on them, he said.  

The organization being personable and their commitment to the kids is what Davis says makes his organization different from others in the area.

“I really try to pride it on being a family type organization, rather than being something that is for today, to go on Facebook to brag about after a win,” he continued. “I want these kids to win at life, so I try to pull together different resources to be able to help these kids succeed in life beyond just football. I think a lot of people lose sight of that.”

Davis credits the early success of his program primarily to the timing and the consistency of his staff.  

“Just touching as many people in the community as possible and keeping our boots to the ground, I feel like that was a key to us growing so rapidly,” he said. “They knew the Warriors were here to stay.”

Davis said he knows that he can’t please everyone, so he focuses on keeping the kids the main focus. He says everything else is secondary.

“I keep the focus on the kids and the kids only and nothing else really matters,” he said. “As long as I was out there to protect those kids and give them a safe, happy and positive environment three days out of the week and a gameday on Saturday, man that’s me winning, because I don’t know what these kids are going home to on a day-to-day basis.

“My job is to provide that safe haven for each and every one of those individuals that are a part of my program.”

Davis gave a lot of credit to the coaching staff. He says without them, the program would not have flourished the way it has thus far.  

Davis said the response from the parents has been phenomenal and fueled him to do an even better job working with the kids. He says he knows some of the parents are going to be torn about where they want their kids to play once the pandemic is over, due to the great experience they have had with his program.

“I’ve had parents that have come to me and tell me that they have been thrilled that their son is coming out of their shell and becoming a more responsible young man, and the game of football has brought out different aspects of their children that they couldn’t on their own,” said Davis. 

Davis would like to see his organization include other sports outside of football to reach other markets and reach as many kids as possible.