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By ANDRE ALFRED

Sports Correspondent

WINDSOR – Some of us have experience having a used car that just kept breaking down. When it seemed like the vehicle was doing well, then whoops it breaks down again.

Some just buy another used car and eventually find themselves repeating the same process. Others get frustrated and weigh the cost and just buy a new car.

Well, the Bertie Falcons have experience this same “used car” syndrome with the plethora of football coaches that have come and gone. The majority of those coaches have been in the game for awhile and have built up the experience to be labeled as “veterans which allow them to facilitate the selection process for head coach.

But, low and behold, the school administrators felt it was time to purchase a “new vehicle” by selecting Darrius Wesson as the head coach of the football Falcons. Wesson is a Bertie native and Bertie High School alumni who played football on the same field that his athletes have or will perform.

There’s a saying that goes, “simple and less is sometimes best.” So how does that apply to Coach Wesson?

Wesson’s experience may not be on the level of those before him, but his “I’ve been there outlook” as a young and former player allows him to establish a common bridge with his team intimately and with the love and protection of a big brother that just recently left the game at the collegiate level. This is so important because his relationship with his team isn’t decades apart. He understands what the young athletes are confronted with at this level of football and the challenges they face off the field.

Coach Wesson has surrounded himself with a group of coaches that are Bertie High School alumni and former Falcon football players. This move has helped strengthen the bond between the coaches and athletes. No one is a stranger.

Coach Wesson assigned Casey Owens to be his Assistant Coach. Owens played football for Bertie from 2001-2005. He played collegiate football at Elizabeth City State University. Coach Owens is well known and very active in the community. His position as the Director of the YMCA in Windsor allows him to rub elbows with the parents and children in the local area.

Greg Williams, the Defensive Coordinator, played at Bertie from 2013-2017. He also played at the collegiate level at Elizabeth City State University.

Offensive and Defensive Line Coach Devon Saunders played for Bertie from 2001-2005.

Quarterback Coach Torrence Mouring played for Bertie from 2007-2010.

Assistant Offensive and Defensive Line Coach Treemount Veale played football at Bertie from 1996-2000.

Then there is one of Bertie High School’s most iconic coaches, Assistant Coach Calvin Moore. Coach Moore also played football at Bertie and served as Assistant Head Coach for the Bertie football team a while back as well as the Head Coach of Varsity Boys basketball team. Coach Moore brings a wealth of knowledge and a distinct style of discipline from ascertained both from his civilian experience and military experience as a Commanding Officer in the United States Army.

The Falcons started their first day of official practice on Monday, July 31. They had a slight setback with their helmet order, which came in late and set them behind on their schedule, but by the look off practice, that setback didn’t seem to faze the team at all.

The practice had a sense of freedom and excitement, dressed with a topping of urgency. The team as a whole vigorously attacked and executed the different stations that were set-up for their training.

Renovations to the Falcons gridiron are still underway with a completion date somewhere around the middle of the season. The scheduled home games until that work is completed will be changed to away games. The renovation will include the installation of new lights and modifications applied to the field and press box.

The Falcons will have two full contact scrimmages next week. The first scrimmage will be at Northampton County High School at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11 at Northeastern High School.