It’s getting to be that time of year. In just weeks, Howard Family Field will be filled with cheering fans, as the team in red and blue takes the turf. It’s almost FWCD football season.
But for the guys suiting up in a helmet and shoulder pads, the season began over a month ago, when summer camp kicked off. After weeks of 5:00 a.m. practices, the team has flashed potential of an SPC champion. Head coach Keith Burns, former collegiate football player and professional coach, will return for his 5th season with the team, with the goal of finishing the job after falling just short of the championship last year. After the departure of last year’s star-studded senior class, most will be sleeping on the FWCD team. Team captains Fulton Weaver ’26, Cal Neubauer ’26, Fox Burton ’26, and Canaan Factor ’26 will have big shoes to fill from last year’s captains. But as Weaver put it: “Nobody expects us to be good this year. Let’s surprise them.” Once you take a deeper look, you can see hints of the sleeper team Weaver is talking about.
It feels proper to first look at Coach Burns’ pride and joy: the defense. The D returns five starters from last year. In the trenches, also known as the defensive line, Neubauer will take charge. Neubauer had a team-high six sacks last season, and his pass-rushing prowess has earned him an offer to play football at Davidson College. Alongside Neubauer will be Alex Streett ’27 to form a dangerous edge-rushing duo. On the interior of the line, Esteban Gomez ’26 and Aidan Fuller ’28 will be a run stopping force at defensive tackle. Fuller racked up 14 tackles and a sack last year as a freshman on the varsity team.
Moving back to the second line of defense, the linebackers, you will find one of the best LB groups in the SPC. The middle linebacker (aka the MIKE) is the commander of the defense and the group’s best run stopper, and this role is filled by Thomas Bluntzer ’27, who racked up 47 tackles (3rd on the team) last year despite only playing in six games. The weakside linebacker (the WILL), always plays on the weak side of the offense; but I assure you, there is nothing weak about the Falcon’s weakside linebacker, Fox Burton. Burton was the team’s defensive MVP last year, despite only being a junior and being new to the school.He racked up 68 tackles, 3 TFLs, 3 INTs, and a forced fumble, as well as establishing himself as one of the hardest hitters in the SPC. On the other side of the MIKE is the strongside linebacker (the SAM), which is filled by Weaver. Weaver moved down to SAM from safety, where he led the team with 70 tackles last season.
The final line of defense is the secondary, led by Factor, who grew into the starting cornerback role last year. Despite not being a starting DB at the beginning of the season, he proved to be a playmaker by picking up a team-leading five interceptions. There is a position battle for the other CB spot between Owen Bloemendal ’27, James Hanson ’28, and Logan Francis ’28, all of whom had many varsity snaps last season but have not yet experienced a starting role. Finally, the Falcon safeties are headed by Will Bloemedal ’27, who is returning from a starting role last year when he acquired 33 tackles and an INT. For the other safety spot, Scottie Huffman ’27 is switching from linebacker, where he racked up 32 tackles, a sack, and a safety in eight games.
While the defense is a well-led and talented unit, it hasn’t had any easy time going against the Falcon offense in practice. Any defense would have trouble facing this unit, which averaged 39 points per game and 357 yards per game last season, as well as breaking pretty much every FWCD offensive record. The unit returns five starters but still has the explosive traits that made last year’s team so exciting and threatening. The offense’s consistency and dangerousness can be attributed to offensive coordinator TJ Millweard, a former college football player, who attacks defense with his spread-style offense.
The player at the helm of the offense, Cooper Paul ’27, has filled the QB1 role after showing promise in limited snaps all season. In last year’s season opener, Paul had to jump in after starter Connor Davidson ’25 was sidelined for a play. In his one snap of the game, Paul threw it up the middle to Owen Bloemendal for a 29-yard touchdown.
Unfortunately, Paul suffered an injury in the offseason, forcing Hayes Casey ’29 to jump in at varsity QB. FWCD coaches have praised how quickly Casey was able to jump in, learn, and lead the offense as only a freshman. Chase Hatfield ’28, Harrison Hoisager ’28, and James Ogle ’29 will compete for the JV quarterback position.
Whoever lines up under center for the Falcons, they will have a great array of weapons at their disposal. Factor racked up 34 catches, 461 receiving yards, and eight receiving TDs last year, leading the team in all of those categories. While Factor is a great outside threat, the Bloemendal twins provide a speedy inside threat. Will and Owen both averaged 17+ yards per reception last year with six combined TDs between them. Oliver Kelly ’26 is also a speedy slot receiver whose 144 yards was 5th on the team last year.
But defenses don’t just have to prepare for a passing onslaught – the Falcons also have a huge rushing threat. Burton will emerge into the starting role this year after the departure of Luke Mitchell ’25. Despite being the backup last year, Burton picked up 205 rushing yards and two TDs, averaging five yards per carry. Huffman will fill the backup spot, averaging six yards per carry despite limited reps last year.
While all the skill positions are important, in the end, the success of the offense comes down to the offensive line. Can they block for the runningback and buy time for the quarterback? After losing all five starting linemen from last year, this is the biggest question for the FWCD team – can they meet the success of last year’s O-Line?
The group is led by Jack Semple ’27 and Gomez. Semple got playing time on varsity last year; it is very rare for a sophomore lineman to get reps against varsity players. Semple is a jack of all trades, as he could be playing at any position on the offensive line. Burns has praised Semple for his flexibility many times before. Gomez, the only senior of the group, played backup guard last year but may switch to tackle this year. Fuller, now a sophomore, will be starting at guard after playing on varsity as a freshman, which shows his size and strength. The other offensive line positions are uncertain, as competition for the remaining spots continue.
While offense and defense are important, Burns recognizes the undervalued importance of special teams. As a former special teams coordinator for the Oakland Raiders NFL Team, Burns takes extra time that no other teams take to practice special teams. Kicker Luke Vincent ’26 completed 100% of his 28 extra points last year. Weaver will return as punter after averaging 30 yards per punt last season.
The key to this year’s season will be staying energized and healthy. Every member of the team is a two-way player, with six two-way starters and many more two-way players with significant playing time as backups. Another key will be the linemen. With the departure of last year’s senior group, will the new starters be able to meet the standard previously set? Meeting the success of last year’s team is a big theme.
“We’ve been up and down for a while,” Burns said. “The question is, can we get it straight?”
The Falcons will have their first game at home, August 29, versus St. Mark’s. Last year, the Falcons beat the Lions on a blocked extra point to win 35-34.
“They’re gonna be coming in here, and they’re gonna be mad,” Burns said.
The St. Mark’s game will be a big opening test for the team. Can they meet the standards set last year, or go even higher?
In the words of Burns: “We live by the code: Code Red. 1) Be prepared. 2) Max speed. 3) Play hard. 4) Finish. We didn’t finish last year. Now, we have to finish.”
