Under the scorching, muggy, Fresno night sky, and the blaring stadium lights, football players and coaches executed their drills with precision and intensity, their excitement was contagious as they prepared for their upcoming game at Diablo Valley.
Players before heading onto the field were dancing and overall pumped about the upcoming game. The players were not the only people buzzing with ram spirit.
Head Coach Tony Caviglia is going into his 24th season at FCC and couldn’t be prouder of his players this year.
“It’s going to be nice to watch our players play against another team and play a complete game,” Caviglia said. “We worked hard to this point so it’s gonna be good to see the fruits of our labor.”
Despite it being early in the season and having a lot of uphill battles ahead, Caviglia is confident that his team can be dominant.
“Still a lot of questions about our team…but we’re going to go up there and go as hard as we can,” Caviglia said.
This season has a good mix of seasoned players along with exciting, new, and talented recruits who share one goal – winning.
Second year defensive back Noah Taylor is confident in this team. He makes a promise to FCC that this year’s Rams will bring home something to be proud of.
“It’s going to be a lot of big things. We’re going to win a lot and we’re gonna make it exciting,” Taylor said. “We got a lot of good pieces and [I’m] excited to see how the team works.”
First year defensive lineman Devin Williams said that his goals go beyond games, he and his team wants to get to the top of the football mountain for the FCC fans.
“I’m excited for me and my team to go out and put on a show for the fans and prove that we can compete for a state championship,” Williams said.
The culture that Caviglia has brought to FCC football is admired among all the players, knowing that each player matters and their development is prioritized by the coaching staff. That sentiment is echoed and copied by all players.
Second year defensive back D’art Martin continues to play for the team because of the culture that the Rams provide.
“I played defensive back. I’ve played for two years.I love it, it’s like family here,” Martin said.
First year defensive back Keyon Kiles says his self-belief has skyrocketed since he got to FCC due to his teammates.
“I feel like my teammates help me improve each and every day,” Kiles said. “ I feel like during camp, last year, I was on the field a lot, but I didn’t have a lot of confidence. I was out there, but this year, I feel like my confidence went up a lot and I can play a lot better.”
Community and Student involvement has played a key part in why the Ram’s spirit is so high.
Caviglia and his team are both very excited for the uptick in support for the Rams both in the stands and on campus.
“We love to have the students come out. Every year we’ve been getting more and more students out. I think student governments are dialed into a football program in the season and our players love to see the students. I mean it makes it fun. And they play, they really play at a high level when there’s a great student involvement,” Caviglia said.
The Rams first home game will be on Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. against Sierra College.
