- May 5, 2024
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Pancakes were on the menu at Applebee’s on Saturday morning as Spruce Creek football held their first fundraiser in preparation for the 2017 season.
After Spruce Creek finished 7-4 last year and won District 1-8A, the expectations for 2017 are high, but on Saturday, the Hawks were relaxed while serving piles of flapjacks to fans, boosters and parents.
“This is actually the first time I’ve ever done any of these, but it’s nice for the players to come out and meet some people around town they might not know,” head coach Andy Price said.
It’s been a busy, but successful offseason for the Hawks. They have won four tournaments: Men of Valor, the FHS 7-vs-7 regional tournament, FHS 7-vs-7 state championship and a 16-team tournament hosted at Spruce Creek.
With the return of a three-year starter at quarterback, Kyle Winckler will look to lead the offense with sophomore middle linebacker Tyler Berrong anchoring the defense. Berrong recently received two offers after the previous school year from Florida and North Carolina.
“It was mind-blowing to get the offers, and it was during the last week of school so I was really excited about everything,” Berrong said. “I feel like we’re going to be better than last year with everyone knowing more about the system and learning a lot from coach [D.J.] Mayo.”
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 215 pounds, the 19-year-old Berrong was balancing stacks of pancakes to make sure all of the paying customers got their $7 worth of flapjacks served warm and on time.
The team has to raise funds to pay for new uniforms, a press box and travel expenses. The team raised around $1,500 at the flapjack fundraiser, $7,000 at a recent golf tournament and have many more fundraisers in the works.
Every bit helps.
“There are a lot of expenses for us, but thankfully this is a great area for fundraising,” Price said. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the community, so we’re glad to do what we can to give back.”
Spruce Creek will host its season opener on August 18 against Seminole.
