Fleming looks for improvement in close games

Colonels dropped three games by 10 points or less

ROANOKE, Va. –   William Fleming High School is the next stop on the 1st and 10 Camp Tour.  The Colonels of Bobby Martin are coming off a 3-7 campaign in 2016.  Fleming will make the jump to Class 5A, but will remain in the Blue Ridge district. They will have their hands full with another difficult schedule which includes Heritage, North Stafford and Pulaski in the early going.  Coach Martin's team endured three losses that were by 10 points or less. Those close losses are something they'll need to correct to record a winning season in 2017.    

  "We were close in a lot of games last year and that's not going to get it done. We have got to get over the hump this year, Martin said.  "Our numbers are down but we got a bunch of kids working hard.  We have some good skill kids we just have to bring it all together.  We have to get a complete team effort. All I can control is what we do when we get here every day and we're going to practice hard every day.  It doesn't matter who we're playing, we're going to practice hard every day and just get ready to play each week, Martin said.

  "We just have to work harder and pay attention in practice and get things correct, because we made a lot of the mistakes last year when we didn't win," senior running back Malik Traynham said.  "When we played EC Glass there was a fake punt, we could've scored on that but we dropped the ball.  We weren't paying attention but we need to get better this year, " Traynham said.

  The Colonels open on Aug. 25 when they host Heritage. They will also travel to North Stafford and Pulaski County in their early season schedule in what amounts to a revamped schedule for William Fleming.