First Presbyterian Christian Academy made history Friday night as the school launched its football program by hosting Bethesda at Long Bell Stadium.
Though the Blazers dominated the first-year Highlanders in a 40-7 win, it was important for first-year coach Andy Yanzetich and his team to get that initial game under their belts.
And the Highlanders even managed a big play in the first quarter when Highlander quarterback Herbert Roberts connected with George Mitchell for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Then depth and inexperience weighed in. With only a 19-man roster, Yanzetich knew conditioning would be a factor in the game as players fielded positions on both sides of the ball.
Yanzetich said the Highlanders played with heart considering they were up against an established and well coached team.
“I think we played well in the first quarter. We dropped a couple of passes early and that was due to inexperience and then we ran out of gas after the first quarter and that is when it all steam rolled,” he said. “The more we play, the more conditioning we’ll get …but for the first gameoverall, they got their feet wet and played pretty well that first quarter.”
The coach said some Highlanders lost a little bit of their focus as they became fatigued.
“You run out of gas then you start getting beat up and you start forgetting things,” he said.
Now the Highlanders will work on developing a running game to be more balanced offensively. Early on, FPCA focused on passing  on because it takes longer to develop, Yanzetich said.
Defensively, FPCA had a bright spot as well.
“I think we did well handling the run inside…outside they had a lot of speed and we got in trouble,” he said.
Bethesda is 1-1 overall and the Highlanders are 0-1.