ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Across South Georgia, notable football programs are catching the attention of their communities. Just entering their second year as an established program, the SOWEGAN Football Fighting Turtles overcame all odds to win their first Eastern Conference Championship.
“The thing our guys always have is passion – to go out there and play to the best of their ability,” head coach Ricky Zambrano said.
The accomplishment marks a significant milestone for the Academy, founded by Josh Duckworth, who and Coach Zambrano built the program from the ground up just two years ago.
“It's also about making sure we have players that are in it for the right reasons. You don't go into a summer league while you're in college and your end goal is to win. If you look at the growth from last year to this year, it's the very same players that established the standard last year and built on that. And then we get leadership from the guys that were with us last year and essentially they become our No. 1 players,” Zambrano added.
With their success this season, the Fighting Turtles have not only attracted attention, but also inspired a sense of pride and unity in the community.
“Over the last two years, our members who have been with us have really worked hard to be role models for the kids and the community, whether that's doing individual training and camp activities with local kids or interacting with fans after games, which is probably the best part of it all. That's why we go out every Saturday night when we're at home, or every Wednesday night when we're at home, and provide great summer entertainment for the community and continue to contribute to the growth of sports in the area…”
The SOWEGAN Fighting Turtles are now not just focused on athletic development, they're putting everything on the line in the program's first-ever playoff game.
If you haven't had a chance to see a game yet, you'll have at least one more chance: As the Eastern Conference champions, they'll host the first round of the playoffs, and the postseason kicks off on Saturday, July 12, at Lee County Track and Football Field.
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