Road Trip: The Warriors traveled to Tampa for college Friday Night lights

For West Orange’s linebacker Nolan Turner, watching the University of South Florida football game Friday, Oct. 3 was an incredible experience. 

He’s grown up a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and it was surreal for him to be on the NFL team’s field.

All of West Orange’s varsity football team took the hour-and-one-half bus ride over to Raymond James Stadium to watch USF play Charlotte.

The trip was more than just a cool experience for Turner and his teammates. It was an opportunity to make themselves known to college coaches. 

West Orange’s head coach Geno Thompson emphasized the importance of players putting their foot in the door for recruitment, if their dream is to play college ball. The process starts with college coaches recognizing their faces and connecting game footage to it. 

“While they were getting food (I went) and said, ‘Listen, when is this opportunity going to come again? You can sit and talk to your friends and teammates all day long, get up and go introduce yourself to the coaches,’” Thompson said. 

Thompson and West Orange’s coaching staff focused on teaching the players how to take initiative. 

Those brief conversations the players had with coaches can be remarkably helpful later, even for freshman or sophomores. Thompson said players’ names might come up when they’re a senior and the college coach will recognize it. Coaches remember how polite and respectful aspiring athletes are, so making a positive impression is the first step in recruitment. 

West Orange running back Jayden Ammons and Turner said the team fully took in the experience. The seniors’ goal is to continue their football career in college and they were able to meet USF’s recruitment coordinators, who will pass along film to USF’s coaches. 

Aside from meeting coaches, the Warriors were able to see a college game. 

During the game, Ammons studied the playing style of USF’s running backs and took notes on their performance.

Thompson said it was important for his players to see a college game and realize it’s not an “untouchable” goal. They can watch games on the television on Saturdays, but being there brought out a new level of emotions. 

It’s easy to be distracted by the size and glam of an NFL stadium and the excitement of a college football game of a nationally ranked team. When West Orange’s players focused in on the field, they realized it’s the same exact game they’re playing, Thompson said.

“It’s football,” he said.

HOW IT BEGAN

Every season, West Orange prioritizes doing a team-building activity during the bye week, and this year, they went to Tampa. 

The opportunity began when Thompson was reaching out to USF’s coaches because some of the Warriors’ players had requested to go on a tour of the school. As he was contacting USF’s coaches, he noticed the Bulls’ schedule and saw its Friday night game against Charlotte coincided with West Orange’s bye week. 

A light bulb went off in his head. 

“I just reached out to the (USF) coaches and said, ‘Is this even a possibility?’” Thompson said. “And they said, ‘Absolutely. We’d love to have your whole varsity team come out.’” 

Thompson and West Orange Athletic Director Todd LaNeave began to work out the logistics of the trip and got a charter bus for the varsity team. 

They packed up the bus and embarked on the journey. 

Ammons and Turner said they enjoyed being able to spend the time with their teammates on the bus. They said those connections and relationships will continue to help on the field. 

Once the Warriors arrived to the stadium, USF welcomed them on the field to watch the college players warm up. Ammons said he enjoyed being able to watch something he’s always seen on television. 

Thompson loved seeing his players’ reactions to stepping on the field, standing on the sidelines and watching the Bulls run warm ups. They were able to witness what a collegiate game looks like and stand in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stadium; it was a moment that’ll never be replicated. 

“That for me was the most exciting part, seeing the elation on their eyes,” he said. “(The) excitement, interest and just embracing the whole experience.”

The moment was special for Thompson, too — it was his first time in an NFL stadium. The Warriors’ program has done many bus tours with its players, especially during the summer, to visit college campuses, and every trip has been unique. The “wow” factor of an NFL stadium is what makes this trip stand out to him and West Orange’s team.

Thompson said after seeing the players’ reactions during this particular trip, it’s made him and the coaching staff want to continue trips like it in the future. Down the line, he wants to look into going to another USF or UCF or FSU game and bringing the whole team along for the ride. The experience was fun and served the aspiring college athletes with a prime opportunity to make a great first impression.