Brent Harris has seen some of the best athletes Victory Christian Academy has had to offer in the last decade.
From Landon Ellis, Tyler Jones, Marcus Sims, Anthony Sharp, or any others, Harris has had a unique vantage point as a supporter of the school, its boys basketball and baseball coach, and as a football official.
On Friday, Harris experienced a first at a Victory Christian sporting event.
“It looks like he has gained about 80 pounds,” Harris said from the sideline as he watched Michael Tate and his teammates play defense.
Credit Harris for correctly assessing Tate’s weight gain from his sophomore to junior season. Tate showed the added weight won’t slow him down, either, as he recorded 16 tackles and two sacks to lead the Victory Christian football team to a 53-12 victory against Meadowview Christian in the season opener for both teams.
Garrett Anthony had 11 carries for 160 yards and three touchdowns, while Dallas Colom added two scores as part of the Eagles’ 376-yard rushing performance.
But Tate and senior defensive end Dakota Bradford, who had three sacks, were part of a dominating defensive effort that helped Victory Christian gain confidence after winning five games in the last two seasons.
Tate, whose middle name is Alexander, weighed 160 pounds last season. He credits a diet that involved “the whole house” from turning him into a “skinny” sophomore into a junior who is ready to make his impact felt on defense. He said “eating, lifting weights, and pushups” have given him a new perspective on what he can do for the Eagles.
“Cheese sticks, chicken, fish, all of that good stuff,” Tate said when asked what he ate to add so much weight. “My dad (Michael Anthony) pushed me every night. When I did a pushup, my dad had me quoting scripture. He told me to keep going. When I wanted to stop, he wouldn’t let me stop. When I stopped, I had to add to it.”
Tate said he heard well-wishers supporting Victory Christian from his spot at defensive end. In the second quarter, one fan said, “Hey Tate, I want to see you in the backfield.” Tate didn’t disappoint, jetting into the backfield only to be blocked as the ballcarrier went to the left. It was one of the few times Tate came away empty handed.
Victory Christian coach Chris Hamm knew Tate worked in the weight room in the offseason. He said Tate “got his mind right” after last season and invested in what he needed to do to realize his potential.
“His whole body type has changed,” Hamm said. “He really has gotten stronger. He played a lot more disciplined game. He kept his head in the game. Last year, he had a lot of trouble with jumping offsides, trying to be too aggressive, and playing out of control. I was real proud of the way he played tonight with the added size and strength. The mental side of it was good to see as well.”
Hamm said Tate can play in the middle in a four-man front or line up at an end when the Eagles go with three at the point of attack. Tate’s speed allows him to get up the field and disrupt quarterback-running back exchanges, like he did numerous times against Meadowview Christian. Tate also showed the strength to fight off a block and to make a tackle when plays came at him, or the speed to get to the edge and make a play on a receiver or a running back.
As dominant as Tate was on defense, he said his highlight was a 26-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. Instead of backing away from the spinning ball in the middle of the ball, Tate collected it after a high bounce as he worked his way back up the field and then reversed course and headed for the end zone. Unfortunately, his dreams of scoring ended at the 5-yard line, when he was upended.
“I have never ran the ball a day in my life, so that was a whole new experience,” Tate said. “The ball was right there. I have been wanting to do this since I started playing football. I guess tonight was just my night.”
The reward for Tate was praise from defensive line coach Andrew Pace, who said he “wasn’t grounded anymore.” Tate said Pace, whom he calls “dad,” chastises him, or “grounds him,” in practice when he doesn’t do something right. He said the punt return was his way of getting back into good graces.
“I don’t know why, but I was pretty nervous,” Tate said. “But when I made first contact all of that went away and I just played my game.”
Bradford provided an equally quick but smaller defensive presence on the opposite end. He said senior Kody Anthony gives the Eagles a three-pronged attack on the ends, while Cole Bond, Ethan Howell, or Cole Harrell provide the ability to clog up the middle.
Bradford laughed when he was told it didn’t look like he had gained 80 pounds from last season. He smiled and said he gained “only” 10-20. Even though the line might be a little off balance with Tate being 240 pounds, Bradford believes the Eagles will be able to stay fresh on defense to wreak havoc for four quarters.
“It is 100 percent the whole game,” Bradford said.
Bradford said that mentality will be important for a program that aspires to return to its championship glory. Victory Christian hasn’t won a Christian Football Association title since 2014. Its 53-point showing marked its second-50-plus scoring output in the last three seasons, but Bradford said one game isn’t going to satisfy this group.
“We have seen with past seasons if you get a big head it doesn’t end well because that is all about me,” Bradford said. “We ain’t me out here. Our theme for this year is brotherhood. This ain’t no me sport. We got rid of all of them. This is us. All of this is together for each other.”
One victory also won’t be enough to satiate Tate, who likely will keep eating quarterbacks and running backs at a healthy rate.
“Me and Michael started at ends four years ago on the junior high football team,” Bradford said. “We have just progressed each year and gotten better. Me and him have got it to where it is almost mental between us. We know what each other is doing. If one of them is going, we know the other one is going just as quick, and you have to get back there and sammich him.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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