Latest / Huddle Up! / Huddle Up! Season 1, Episode 5
Transcript
- Paul Durham: Hello, this is Paul Durham. Welcome to episode four of the first season of Huddle Up the Wilson Times Sports Podcast. This week's guest is Sam Finch, Fike High Senior quarterback, Mr. Finch, who has the Golden Demons off to a 3-0 start. They have outscored their opponents 198-7. And Sam has been a big reason for that. He's got almost 900 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns. I think he's only thrown It's like 31 of 40 pass completions. And he's also run for a few touchdowns, including a beautiful scramble, 45 yarder Thursday night against Aiden Grifton. And so, Sam, I gotta tell you, I think you you've lost your voice a little bit. That comes from being the signal caller. But what do you think are the reasons for Fike's offensive success so far this season? Samuel: Well the reason for our success, Mr. Paul, is first, me and my wide outs been throwing a bit of chemistry since January. Second, we take pride into watching film to see who is the weakest link and what coverage the defense is in. And lastly, the main success for our offense is because the defense they allow seven points in three games, which means we have the ball most of the game to make plays. Paul Durham: True, but you guys do not require very much time to score as I've seen for the last two Thursday nights. You can score pretty quickly. Now, what's it like for you, Sam, as a quarterback, to have so many weapons to work with? Several of these guys were there last year, Daryl Loatman and Braylon Lofton, Demari Lewis. You got some new running backs in the backfield, but everybody seems to be bigger, stronger, faster. What's it like this year with all these weapons? Samuel: Well with all these weapons on Mr. Paul, it makes my job easier in my opinion. But it always put it also puts the responsibility on me to get the ball to the right person. I feel like we got guys all over the field that can make plays. But for example, if you double team Daryl Loatman we will go to our six three Braylon Loftin Now if you double team Braylon Loftin we do have our speed glitch, DeMar Lewis and our tight end Trev. But what makes this offense so good We got three powerful running backs that makes our offense balance. So if the defense depends on our pass game the whole game, we can run the ball too. Paul Durham: And you're talking about Riggo Riggins and Marlee Alston and Samuel: Yeah, I'm talking about Young Paul Durham: Trev DeVaughan Samuel: No, I'm talking about Antavious Riggins, Marlee Alston, and Jaiden Jones. Paul Durham: Jaiden Jones, how could I forget him? Trev DeVaughan is not really a running back. He's more of an H back, right? Samuel: Yeah, he more's of an ace back and our tight end. Paul Durham: Now I have to ask you, Sam, you have not been sacked this year, have you? Ha Samuel: No, not yet, not yet, that. Paul Durham: have you even been touched in the backfield behind the line of scrimmage? Samuel: Nah, nah, I've been getting away but I I do give my shout out to my offensive line a lot, they been putting work in in the weight room and on the field to to not let me get touched. Paul Durham: Now you came out last year as a junior threw for I think what twenty four hundred yards, over twenty four hundred yards last year, but this year you're on track to do more than that. Now, how do you think you've improved the most coming into this season? what areas do you think you've improved the most in? Samuel: So I I think I improved into the the mental side of playing quarterback. Like seeing the field better, understanding defenses and making quicker decisions. And I worked on my leadership. In my opinion, playing quarterback isn't always about throwing touchdowns. It's about when my teammates look at me when it when it's going good and then when it's going bad how they look at me. But then I just stay composed in those moments so then they can just follow follow my leadership. Paul Durham: Now, you guys have had an interesting situation this year. Your head coach, Coach Rocky Lewis, was not brought back right before the season. so Coach Lewis is not there and Coach Marcus Johnson is now the head coach and he was not there the last two years. He was there as a girls basketball coach, but he he was coaching elsewhere for football, but he was part of the school. He's also a former Fike quarterback too himself many years ago who I covered very very early in my career. Now, what was it been like for Samuel: Okay. Paul Durham: you guys to adjust so quickly to Coach Johnson or just having the the whole change that you had to deal with over the summer? Samuel: Well, I I ain't gonna lie, it was the the adjustment it was kinda different, but Coach Johnson's been with us all summer and throughout FCA. So then we knew how he coached and how he is about our team. Now, Coach Johnson, he understands Fike and Being a former quarterback, he understands what comes with playing w that position and representing this program. Paul Durham: Now, has he given you any kind of specific pointers about playing football or quarterback at Fike High School? Samuel: yes sir, he've been giving me pointers on how to play quarterback, the right reads and off the field he he gave me points in life too. Paul Durham: Well, Sam, tell me this you have already verbally committed to Elon. that signature comes later, I guess, this year, in G in December or whenever you sign. tell me a little bit about how you came to decide to play for the Phoenix and what are you most excited about? Samuel: Elon felt the right fit for me. Throughout the recruiting process, I wanted to be somewhere that they believed in me as a quarterback, but also going to challenge me academic academically and help me develop as a person. When I spent time around the coaches and the programs, I felt comfortable with the direction they're going and what they see in me. I'm so I'm excited about getting there, competing, learning the offense and developing at the next level. Paul Durham: Now you are still playing basketball this year? Samuel: I'm I'm I'm fifty fifty with that. Paul Durham: Fifty fifty with that. Well, that's what I was gonna ask you, 'cause right now, I mean, you know, and you've got to go into a college environment to play football, basketball maybe can wait. Obviously you were a big part of Fike's five A runner up team last year and would probably be a big part of it again this year if you decide to do that fifty on basketball. But let me ask you a little bit back more about recruiting though, Sam. It's tough to get recruited out of high school these days for w because of the transfer portal and all kinds of You know, guys getting Samuel: Mm-hmm. Paul Durham: extra e eligibility. How tough was it for you, in the process of trying to get recruited? Samuel: it was kinda tough, but I my dad always told me, If you just put on the show on Friday night and do and do the right do right in school, they always gonna come find you. Paul Durham: Well, your father's a wise man, because that's exactly right. If you if you get the work done, you will get noticed, you will get found. It doesn't matter where you're at, people will find you, and I guarantee people are watching you play right now at Fike Well, Sam, last question for you, man. How far can these Fike golden demons go? You guys watched Hunt get to the state five A championship last year. The Warriors are still got a lot of players back from that team. I think they're hoping to do it again. But gosh, just getting out of the Big East Conference might be a chore. You got Rocky Mount's pretty good. Southern Nash is always Southern Nash. And then Northern Nash is going to be the team that surprisingly has lost a few games, but they're still going to be tough as a 6-A team. How do you feel about Fike's chances based on what you've seen so far and knowing what you know about the teams you're still going to have to play? Samuel: I feel great because 'cause I just tell my team and and our mentality in our head is we take we take each game week by week, week by week. We we start over our our record zero zero and we make that week 1-0 every week. Paul Durham: All right, well listen, I really appreciate you taking time to talk to me. I know you've got a busy schedule with football and school and everything else going on, but I look forward to seeing you play again and I tell you it's quite a show on Thursday nights. If you guys had to run the ball the whole time, could you do it? Samuel: yes sir. Paul Durham: All right. Well, that's a sign of a great offense. Well, Sam, thanks so much. And hopefully I'll talk to you again sometime this season later on as the season goes gets closer to the playoffs. Samuel: Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr Paul.