ROANOKE, Va. – The 1st and 10 Camp Tour stays in the River Ridge District to visit Patrick Henry--a program known for being a mainstay when it comes to the postseason.
The Patriots return to the field with 9 returning starters, four on offense and five on defense. They are working hard to replace a bevvy of skill guys that have since graduated including Joey Beasley at quarterback. Many of the student-athletes they do have are older but are just now stepping into starting roles for the first time.
“There’s a lot of really good players on this team so we’re just trying to figure out what we do best and what we’re not good at,” said Patrick Henry head coach Alan Fiddler. “Emphasize our strength and stay away from our weaknesses.”
“I feel confident in our teams ability,” said Patriots senior nose guard and defensive end Joshua Williams. “People might not think we’re as good as other years just because we’re smaller but we’re still aggressive, maybe even more aggressive than past teams.”
Patrick Henry’s coaching staff has donned gray t-shirts that have the word “FINISH” across the back of it. A motto this program hopes to live up to considering the past few seasons have left the Patriots short of reaching their goal.
In 2023, it was their own crosstown rival William Fleming that ended their postseason hopes in the opening round of the playoffs.
“We have to learn how to handle adversity,” Williams added. “In past years we’ve loss in those situations because we come out and think something is easy and when something bad happens we can’t handle that adversity. So it will be big this year to handle that adversity.
Patrick Henry is hoping to run the ball effectively this year while staying physical and disciplined on defense. The Patriots open the season at home against Brookville August 30.