Boys' Latin game seen as benchmark for School of the Future
When High School of the Future hosts Boys' Latin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the South Philadelphia Supersite, first-year head coach Marcus Fulton and his staff hopes the Firebirds will begin their rise from relative Public League football obscurity.
When High School of the Future hosts Boys' Latin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the South Philadelphia Supersite, first-year head coach Marcus Fulton and his staff hopes the Firebirds will begin their rise from relative Public League football obscurity.
"This ain't your daddy's Future" is a refrain, Fulton said, espoused by assistant coach Hank Brown, and is meant to change the culture of a program with one league win in its last three seasons.
During that stretch Future was 1-15 in Public League play and just 5-29 overall.
Last season, the Firebirds finished 1-10 overall and 0-6 in Public League play, with a 40-0 loss to eventual state champ Imhotep that was halted by both sides - because of its lopsided nature - after just 9 minutes, 9 seconds of play.
Clearly the path toward success will be full of obstacles, but Fulton, whose last two coaching stops were at Imhotep (2010-13) and Del-Val (2014-15), doesn't seem to shy away.
"I'm not an out-of-town guy who just wanted to be a head coach," said the 38-year-old Fulton. "I know what I'm stepping into. I'm fully aware of it, and I'm fully ready to get moving and take on this challenge and produce a program that's respectable, that's winning, and that's going to mean business."
Thursday night's challenge will be Boys' Latin (6-6, 2-4 last year), which second-year coach Sean Diviny said consistently fields practice with about 50 players.
The Warriors lost significant seniors Javon Oglesby-Rice, Rasheed Wilson, Troy Hester, and Marquis Johnson.
Diviny, however, is pleased with his team's early progress. Boys' Latin beat host Harriton, 24-12, last week. Sophomore quarterback Malik Johnson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another against Harriton.
Adapting to attrition is a challenge for every program.
Currently, Fulton's Firebirds number just 30. Injuries or departures, however, could whittle that number further.
For now, Fulton said those on the field are adjusting to his style and expectations for excellence, but he still sees hunger in their eyes.
"They want change," he said. "They want to be successful. They want to be what teams I was with were in the past. They want to be recognized as one of the better teams in the Pub, in the city, and known in the state. They have the aspirations to be one of those teams."
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