There will be no more Friday night lights for the varsity gridiron team.

Citing an inadequate number of players, the FC administration announced, Oct. 28, the team would be forced to forfeit the remaining five games of their season.

“Due to the lack of players, we were unable to provide an eighth grade team, and our varsity season was cut short,” Cunnings said. “Despite these challenges, we have seen a group of young men rise to the top and face all adversity. We have an organization filled with godly young men who are prepared to fight.”

According to Principal Jon Endicott, the coaching staff along with the administration determined that suiting up only 11 players for a game would be irresponsible in terms of possible injuries.

In the decision, administrators considered not only the effect on the school but also the rest of the West Sequoia League. Fowler, Riverdale, Caruthers, and Parlier will all lose a game from their regular season schedule and money from the sale of tickets and concessions.

The shortened season affects most senior athletes on the team.

“It’s very frustrating for the seniors who have worked all spring and summer to have our season cut short because of teammates’ grades,” Scott Yantis,’09, said. “It has put all of our hard work to shame and has made all the experiences at Hume [Lake Christian Camps] and pride camp mean a lot less. Knowing this is our last year of football ever really finalizes the memories we’ve had so far.”

The Eagles finished the season at 1-5 overall and 0-1 in the WSL before first forfeiting to Fowler, then the rest of their games.

“No matter what challenges that we have faced this season, it is clear that good things are happening at Fresno Christian,” Cunnings said. “If the home, church, and school will unite, we can be a program that guides individuals to achieve their personal bests. Let us equip them to perform and behave to the best of their ability.”

The team began the season with enough players to compete, with 21 on the roster ? none of them foresaw this abrupt end. Slowly the number-deprived squad melted to only 11 men. Some were injured, a few quit, a couple were removed from the team for disciplinary reasons, and others became academically ineligible.

The school’s long-standing rule that athletes failing a class cannot participate in a sporting event proved to be the knockout blow to the Eagles. All players with an F in a class at the end of the quarter were given a week to improve the grade to a D or risk departure from the team.

“The players are all aware of their grades on a daily basis thanks to PowerSchool,” Endicott said. “On top of that the coaches disseminated the rules about education from the first day of practice. Students should not be surprised that they are ineligible.”

Although they will not play varsity football until next season, most of the junior players, including Julio Ibarra, have decided to compete on the JV team for the remainder of the year.

“We had to make the the decision to play JV as a team,” Ibarra said. “I feel happy to be playing on JV even though it isn’t the same; I still love playing and it is a definite plus to be playing with my brother and all my friends. I don’t regret playing down one bit.”

The shortened season gives Cunnings and the returning athletes plenty of time to prepare for the ’09 season. The strength and conditioning aspect of football is one way the coaches plan on enhancing the program.

The administration took a major step when for the first time ever they scheduled conditioning classes during three periods this year. However, the school still lacks a weight room.

According to Superintendent Debbie Siebert, a weight room will be be included in FC’s “next building project.”

“The need for a weight room is the catalyst for the next building project,” Siebert said. “Research shows that athletes that are stronger are more competitively successful. This fact drove us to implement a new strength and conditioning course into our physical education curriculum.”

Another source for future improvement lies with the youth football program, according to athletic director, Chris Schultz. Recently he hired a new coaching staff to groom the young players for high school competition.

As has always been the case, Cunnings and his players can also resort to good old-fashion recruiting.

“The value of playing football is that it’s the most team-oriented sport out there,” Schultz said. “It requires a lot of guys doing their jobs for a team to be successful. The physical and mental demands of football are also positive for young men to experience as the game teaches them discipline, teamwork and toughness.”

One bit of encouragement for FC: Cunnings is here to stay. Though his first experience as a varsity coach did not go according to plan, he remains optimistic about the program’s direction.

“As this school’s football coach I am fully committed to building a solid foundation for the young men here, and am prepared to ‘weather the storm,'” Cunnings said. “Please know that our coaching staff has a tremendous vision for the future of Eagle football, so we appreciate your continual prayer and support.”