St. Andrews Football looks to build off culture changes to shift program momentum

Laurinburg, N.C. - The St. Andrews football team is ready to reap the rewards of hard work, dedication, and a cultural shift over the last two years. 

The young Knights program battled through a difficult 2023, falling short of securing a victory during their season. While some may measure that as a failed season, Head Coach Bob Curtin sees it differently. 

“Winning programs have character before they have a winning program,” Curtin said. “The character built during that time was a step forward in the right direction. Now, I think we have a good foundation. A lot more work needs to be done, but I think now, we can look forward to a winning season." 

The Long Island native continually stresses to his players the importance of not only working hard and staying committed in their football goals, but also in the classroom and how they carry themselves individually. Their growth as adults is a metric that Curtin takes just as much pride in as their growth on the gridiron. 

"I want to do my part in helping them succeed in the world once their time here is done," Curtin said. 

With just over three weeks until their season opener, Curtin and his players are tightening up any remaining loose ends and making sure they are ready to hit the field on Saturday, Aug. 31, at Erskine College. It will be the first and only face-off this season against the non-conference opponent. 

He isn't the only one going into the season with an optimisic spirit. Senior starting middle linebacker Joshua Henderson has high hopes for what's to come in the following months. 

"Last year, we couldn't get our defense together, we were dealing with eligibility issues and injuries," Henderson said. "And it led us to missing a lot of key players. Our defense didn't come together until late and our offense lost some key players and never really recovered. But going into the spring we had a lot of momentum and we got a new offense coordinator, we got a new defensive line, we have a deep freshman class coming in, so  I'm really excited about this upcoming season." 

He also is approaching the season taking full ownership of the on-field results. He fully believes a winning season will come by the athletes stepping into leadership positions themselves, taking full responsibility for their mental and physical performance on the field. If the players do so, Henderson firmly believes they will be able to score Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) wins. 

The Knights first conference game will be against Union Commonwealth on Saturday, Oct. 12, coincidentally their first home game of the season, as well. 

"It's going to feel like a homecoming of sorts," Henderson said. "Our whole school will know we are on the road, so to come back and that be the first conference game, I feel like that's going to be a great feeling. We're going to have a great crowd...so I'm very excited for that and looking forward to it."