Richard Morrison, now a senior, came to FC during the middle of his sophomore year. He came due to the sports program and the Christian environment which is strong within the school.
Morrison and his twin brother, Nick, came from Acel Fresno Charter High School which like FC is small and intimate. After his arrival, he immediately joined the sports department. Becoming an avid athlete in the tennis program and the soon to be eight man football team.
Morrison came to FC from a small school and joined the Eagles tennis team. In the next year he made it to the playoffs, winning the first of several games.
“The first playoff game was difficult,” Morrison said. “But I had to be mentally strong and it was hard but I pulled through and won it in the last point. The team was a great support for me and encouraged me to play in other sports.”
With this accomplishment in his pocket, Morrison was ready and confident to become the quarter back for the Eagles football team. Along with the win, Morrison attained the determination to improve his athletic finesse.
“I was first introduced to football by my family at the start of my junior year,” Morrison said. “Due to my good arm they thought QB would be a good fit and encouraged me to tryout for football. I guess they were right because I ended up as the starting quarterback.”
Along with pushing Morrison to play football, his family wanted his twin Nicholas Morrison to take the challenge, this has resulted in a cooperation between the two like none other.
“Rick stared playing the same year I started,” Nicholas said. “After I joined, he saw how much I enjoyed it, and started coming out to practice, reveling all of what I had been around. It is nice to have my brother playing with me, especially because we have a deeper connection. I know how Rick will react to things and where he will be on the field. This makes it easier to anticipate his runs and make perfect catches as he is a wide receiver.”
As the years have progressed Morrison has faced several obstacles as the new, and at first inexperienced quarter back for FC.
“Over the past two years of football the main problem which I have faced is being confident of myself,” Morrison said. “This seems to be a common side effect which QB’s experience. Everything depends upon you and how you react to the situations, finally though, I have become confident mostly due to all of the hard work at practice which I have put in.
Head coach Mick Fuller has seen Morrison grow from a once inexperienced quarter back to becoming a leader and a calm and encouraging presence on the field.
My favorite memory from my football season was in the game versus Riverdale Christian. On the first play of the game I threw the ball to Nick for a 65 yard reception, ending in a touchdown. My whole family was their which made this memory especially nice due to all of their faces which we got to see, shining down on us with their proud faces alit. I hope I will never forget these moments which we have shared together, forgeting them would truly be sad. -Richard Morrison, ’15.
“Richard has sharpened his passing and has began to understand the nuances of the game,” Fuller said. “Richard has been a leader this season beyond what I had hoped for. He accepts responsibility for his actions and for his team. He encourages his teammates with positive exhortation and hopefully will show all of his qualities in the last football game of the year.”
With the end of Morrison’s time here with the Eagles football team, he hopes that at the end of the year he will think back to all the fun which he had and all of the experiences.
“My favorite memory from my football season was in the game versus Riverdale Christian,” Morrison said. “On the first play of the game I threw the ball to Nick for a 65 yard reception, ending in a touchdown. My whole family was their which made this memory especially nice due to all of their faces which we got to see, shining down on us with their proud faces alit. I hope I will never forget these moments which we have shared together, forgeting them would truly be sad.”
Lastly yet the most important is how God has made him anew during his time with the team.
“God has inserted himself into my life through football by how I teat my teammates and my fellow opponents on the field, Morrison said. “It has made me slow to anger when their are problems, making me calm myself and make me think how God would like me to treat them. Football has made me a better person, at every moment it pushes me to be the man of God which Jesus hopes for in me and every one of my brothers playing out on the field.”
Morrison’s best friend Tyler Breedlove plays alongside him on the field, but off the field, Breedlove is his faithful friend, always looking for a way help him.
“Over the past year I have helped Rick in many ways,” Breedlove said. “I have helped to improve him by giving him advice on reading the defense, working his arm out during summer, and just giving him the confidence to believe in his abilities.
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @J0sh_Carter.
For more sports, read the Nov. 12 article, Football sport short: Alpaugh.
