Mount Tabor eyes 10-0 season
(pictured above: Teddy Christakos is Tabor’s QB. Photo by Charles Leftwich Jr.)
Nine down, one to go.
It’s hardly surprising that there’s a lot of buzz about Mount Tabor’s junior varsity football team. The 9-0 Spartans are only one game away from achieving perfection. Only Davie County stands in the way.
It won’t take long to find out if Coach Tieshaun Brown’s squad can complete its mission to run the table on the 2014 season. Mount Tabor hits the road to play the War Eagles today at 6 p.m.
Even though the Spartans won’t have the comfort of playing at home for their season finale, this team has reached a level of confidence that bodes well for itself. They’re convinced that they have the tools to beat any opponent, and so far, they have no reason to believe otherwise. But when you consider the average margin for victory – 31.2 points per game – it seems quite plausible that Mount Tabor is ready and ripe for an upset.
Brown doesn’t think so. At this juncture the Spartans aren’t making any assumptions about how the season will end. Having the chance to go 10-0, he explained, provides all the motivation necessary for his players to maintain the proper focus on the task at hand.
“We read The Chronicle article about the team possibly getting the big-head,” he said. “That’s not going to be a problem. All the players are very excited about going undefeated. But they also realize that to make it happen, we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. There’s no need to change anything. So, that means staying humble and making every effort to get better every day in practice.”
Based on the season’s numbers, there’s no doubt that Mount Tabor has been at the head of the junior varsity football class. The defense, spearheaded by Christopher Goldston, Austin Canty and Jack U’ren, leads the way. In nine games, opponents have been held to a meager 6.0 points per game. Along the way, the defense posted three shutouts. Only two teams (North Davidson and West Forsyth) have managed to score in double-digits against the Spartans defense.
Brown got a full dose of the good things to come back in August. Mount Tabor registered a convincing 38-8 win over Indian Trail Porter Ridge, which has a well-established reputations as one of the state’s top football programs. In that season opener, Porter Ridge’s offense failed to get a first down in the first half.
“That game proved to be a positive sign,” said Brown. “The group we have this year is very special and it’s showing. It’s about talent and in that regard, we’re very blessed, especially with our freshman class.”
Offensively, Mount Tabor hasn’t been as dominant as the defense, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of play-makers. Teddy Christakos has developed nicely at quarterback. In the meantime, JaQuan King and De’Vante LeGrande have emerged as big-play threats who are capable of scoring anytime they touch the football.
