Coach Faulkner, a true Wildcat

I want to start this column by saying Enterprise head football coach David Faulkner is a true professional in every sense of the word. Last Friday only made me see it even more.

What everyone knew coming into the game was that it could have been an elimination game from the playoffs for Auburn after starting their season 0-2 in the region. Enterprise sat at 0-1 after a loss to Jeff Davis. A win for Enterprise could start building the confidence this team needed to propel its offense into believing in itself.

Enterprise had the momentum. It was midway through the fourth quarter, ball on the Auburn 15, a score of 20-14 in favor of Auburn. The Wildcats had just held the Tigers and forced a punt, which was nearly blocked, giving them great field position. If the Enterprise offense could find a way to make the plays, cross the goal line and hit the extra point, it could take the lead 21-20. Defense would be the name of the game to pull out a win and possibly another Auburn one point loss, for a team that has lost its last three games by a combined total of five points.

What happened then was obvious to everyone in the stands. Even a friend of mine from Auburn saw just as the Enterprise fans did from the visiting side. My guess is Steve Savarese, the head man at AHSAA who was watching the game from behind the end zone, saw exactly what everyone else saw. The officials blew the call. It proved to be the game changer. What was obvious was an incomplete pass, an official at the spot of the pass waving incomplete and then an Auburn player picking up the ball and running downfield for what they deemed as a touchdown.

Coach Faulkner allowed the referees to confer at midfield, knowing that after they met the official who signaled incomplete would prevail in the discussion and the Cats would live to see another down.

What happened next made me proud to call Coach Faulkner our head coach. He went to bat for our players who have worked hard over the past 10 months to prepare for the season. He argued the call for them. He showed the passion he expects from his players. He stood up for them and saw this game decided by referees instead of the players on the field. He was ejected for arguing the call. His ejection was justified, not by official standards, but by fighting for his players.

Coach Faulkner is what Enterprise football is about. Practice hard, play hard and do it with and for your kids. Not someone you allegedly recruited from another program as we saw last week in Georgia. Look around at the past players in our community.  They have formed a mentor group called the “E” Club to mentor the current players. Enterprise football, win or lose, is what binds our community together. We are passionate about all our athletic teams that compete, but there is nothing like Friday night under the lights in Enterprise.

I hope the players will take the circumstances of what happened Friday and channel the passion and anger to finish this season at a higher level, to understand that when they line up against another team, we set the bar playing as one, and playing for the brother next to me. Having the confidence to know every down, every play is for their pride and the pride of our community… win every play, every down. As far as Coach Faulkner, he is a class act. He has shown us he has the fight and I’m proud to know he is on our sideline and he is an Enterprise Wildcat. I would be proud to go into battle with him. Thanks, Coach.