VYPE sits down with Jordan Black as the First year Head Coach relishes in his accomplishments, and looks towards the future.
Taking over a program that didn't even finish the prior season due to a lack of players, could be a daunting task. Jordan Black took that head-on and never looked back. In the end, Fort Bend Christian Academy did finish the 2019 season and even made the playoffs. Winning wasn't something the players were used to, and Black reflected on the year that was with VYPE.
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VYPE: Was goal No. 1 when you took over was just to play the full 10- game regular season schedule?
Black: "That was a goal, but not one that I wanted to publicly share. I'd like to think that the standards that I have are going to be a little bit higher than that, regardless of what the circumstances are. My goal was to change the culture and to compete for a district championship. We finished in the middle of the pack, made the playoffs and we improved quite a bit. This year it's growing the roster, continuing to work on the culture and winning the district championship."
VYPE: What was the locker room like after you all won the final regular season game and you all were in the playoffs?
Black: "It was interesting because I don't think any of the guys knew how to react. It was so foreign to them. That is part of changing the culture. I want the whole team to understand how special that is and I want that to be a driving force going forward. Now that they've experienced it, I just want that to be an expectation for those kids that we are a playoff team year-in and year-out."
VYPE: What was your favorite memory from this past year?
Black: "It was our opening game against Brazos High School. The previous year, that team beat us 46-7, just mopped the floor with us. In this year's opener, it was a shootout, but we ended up winning 53-52 in overtime. To see the emotion those kids had, the excitement they had, they had gone so long without winning a game. That was a special moment. At the same time, it was a teaching opportunity to show them what it took. It really showed them the reward for the hard work they had put in."
VYPE: As you look towards next year, which is weird because you did not have a spring offseason or track season, what are you all doing to get ready for 2020?
Black: "One of the things we're doing this year is we have started our strength and conditioning program on site. I must give TAPPS a lot of credit for getting that going. We opened a lot sooner than some of the schools out there. My coaches and I are going to spend a lot of time with the players this summer and we have integrated a lot of technology into our strength and conditioning that is going to make us a lot more efficient. With the changes we have made, I think we are going to be as ready as we can be for the season. I do not think you're going to see any ill-affects from the quarantine. I think we are going to hit the ground running and we're going to be a really good football team."