Eight-on-eight football can be fun to watch, even if it’s not as traditional as the 11-on-11 game. Especially for those fans who prefer the offensive side of the game.
So, perhaps something non-traditional is good for the F.I.S.H. Hawks, a team that seems to defy convention — and is getting results.
For six seasons, the Hawks have been the go-to team for area home-schooled athletes who love the game. With players hailing from all over the place — Plant City, Valrico, Brandon and more — it’s become a complex machine that’s helped the F.I.S.H. athletics program grow.
“It didn’t start out with any sports, and it just kind of grew (into this),” Hawks head coach Darren Doud says. “Now, we’ve got a pretty decent-sized sports program, and football’s helped it grow tremendously.”
THE PROGRAM
F.I.S.H. — short for Families Instructing Students at Home — started as what one could consider a Christian “support group” for home-schoolers. It’s based out of Bell Shoals Baptist Church, in Brandon, and offers a number of different clubs and programs for students to participate in outside of their parents’ curricula.
Because kids love sports, the program eventually grew to sponsor several sports teams for its students. Although its baseball team no longer exists, F.I.S.H. does have teams for football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, cross country and golf.
Of course, introducing the football team six years ago helped give the program its biggest draw of all. And, once it became known that the group fielded a team, it got much more attention than before.
“Football draws attention for home-schooled families that move to the area,” Doud says. “Their kids are that age, and they want to join that.”
Doud has been involved with the program from the very beginning, starting as the Hawks’ conditioning coach before moving to defensive coordinator. Last year, he was promoted to head coach.
“I just loved the sport, and coaching was one way to get back into it,” he says.
For athletes such as Jonathan Wall, it’s a great environment to be a part of. Wall, who lives in Plant City, is a sophomore wide receiver. If he attended public school, he would likely be a member of the Plant City Raiders. The program’s Christian atmosphere was more attractive to Wall and his parents, though, and there are no “What if?” questions with him.
“I love playing football, first off,” Wall says. “And, I get to play with a bunch of my friends. It’s a lot more fast-paced, because it’s eight-man, and it’s on a smaller field. It’s a lot of fun all around.”
THE TEAM
In its current incarnation, the Hawks are a formidable squad. With a 4-1 record, the only completely home-schooled team in the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools Conference is near the top of a 19-team field.
The team has been playing at Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex for a few years, after spending the first half of its life at the Dover Patriots’ field. Because the players live all over the area, there’s no bus. The team just tells the students and parents where they’ll need to drive.
So far — knock on wood — there haven’t been any problems or late arrivals in the last six years.
The Hawks’ fan base travels pretty well and, despite being smaller than any given public school’s, is just as intense. There’s good reason for that, too — this team goes from zero to 100 quickly.
In a game at Turkey Creek last week, the Hawks hosted Tampa-Academy at the Lakes and cruised to a 48-18 victory. The Hawks set the tone for this one from the very beginning with an opening onside kick — which it recovered — and quarterback Jacob McLaughlin was just as efficient on his feet as he was throwing the ball to Wall and the other receivers.
Sure, the program doesn’t have the size, tradition or popularity of any of the area’s public schools. But, football fans seeking a different, higher-tempo game might want to check out these Hawks on a Friday night.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
1: Nate Puebla (DB/S/KR) (Jr.)
3: Dallas Frederickson (RB/OLB) (Sr.)
5: David Lacy (DB/RB) (So.)
8: Jacob McLaughlin (QB/K/S) (So.)
11: Matthew Mion (OL/TE/DL) (Sr.)
12: Curtis Mitchell (QB/KR/WR/DB/S) (Jr.)
13: Stephen Thomasson (WR/DE) (Jr.)
14: James Douglas (DL) (Fr.)
15: Ryan Jernstrom (C/DE) (Jr.)
20: Jared Sims (WR/DB) (Fr.)
25: Jonathan Wall (WR/RB/DB/OLB) (So.)
40: Cody Doud (DE) (Eighth)
41: Mike Odom (DE) (Jr.)
60: Jacob Bradley (OL/C/DL/G) (Fr.)
72: Josh Puebla (TE/OL/DE/K) (Sr.)
77: Gideon Stebbins (LB/FB/OL) (Sr.)
88: Josiah Thomas (DE/OLB) (So.)
99: Josiah Kirkland (DE) (So.)