PHOTOS: TFA celebrates senior night but is overtaken in second half

The First Academy returned to its home field Friday, Oct. 17 for the first time in six weeks. The Royals’ home fan welcomed the team back and to celebrate senior night. 

There’s 17 seniors that’ll be leaving the Royals’ squad after this year and many have already committed to continue their football careers after graduation. Wide receiver Brian Williams Jr. is heading to Alabama, defensive back Danny Odem ||| has committed to Nebraska, safety Devin Jackson will become an Oregon Duck, and many others are Division | commits. 

The joys of senior night elapsed after the first half. TFA rung up points quickly against The St. James Performance Academy, with 5:21 left in the second quarter, the Royals’ led 24-0. But once St. James found its footing and momentum, and TFA began a trend of self-made errors — the script flipped. 

A tale of two halves is what caused TFA to fall to St. James 41-40. 

TFA began by capitalizing of turnovers, the team tallied in two interceptions and recovered a fumble. After each turnover, the Royals’ showed its fans exactly what kind of action they’ve been missing. The players’ excitement was captivating, they were feeding off each other and continued to pound away at their lead.

St. James averages 54.6 points per game, and the Royals held them to zero up until 3:26 left in the second quarter when St. James found the end zone for the first time and they liked the feeling. 

It remained a touch fight by both teams, but St. James was fighting harder. The Royals began to have turnover after turnover and that’s never a recipe for success. With 1:18 left in the game, St. James found the end zone again and took the one-point lead to seal the deal. 

TAKEAWAYS

In any sport a loss is never wanted, but as TFA’s head coach Jeff Conaway said, the team uses every game to learn and as growth for next year

The Royals showed tonight that they can compete and they can produce well. Holding any team to zero points for almost two quarters is an impressive feat, especially a school like St. James who was 6-0 headed into the night. It’s learning how to continue that momentum though. 

TFA can run the trick plays, cause a safety and convert on fourth down. The team can outrun its opponents, such as when its quarterback, Brian Dillard, ran down the field for a 99-yard rushing touchdown. 

St. James is a tough opponent, the team is ranked No. 4 in Virginia and is dedicated to giving each of its student-athletes access to expert coaches and trainers. It’s a facility that dedicates itself to teaching young athletes how to excel, and TFA competed hard. 

The Royals set up a challenging schedule this year to teach the players and coaches lessons, since it will not eligible to compete in the post-season this year. The game against St. James has many different takeaways that can be learned, so it might’ve been another loss on the team’s record but it’s an opportunity for growth.