WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Wing-T And A Prayer: Family-Led Team Scores Big On Gridiron

Oct 27, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. — Football, family and faith have proved to be a winning combination for a small, private school in north Raleigh.

The St. David's Warriors eight-man football team is 9-0 this fall and are ranked No. 1 in the state among independent private schools.

The team is a family affair. Frank Wilder and his two sons, Wes and Justin, coach the Warriors and say football and faith are uniformly embraced at the school.

"We are a Christian-believing school here at St. David's, and we believe that (God) is the center of everything," said Wes Wilder, the head coach. "We transfer that over to the athletic field because they know Christ is there with us."

"We never break out. We never break down and fight with each other. We're always together," said Patrick Burt, who plays both fullback and linebacker.

"They're a family, and they treat each other as a family and then they include us in their family," linebacker and center Craig Robinson said of the Wilders.

Wes and Frank Wilder said the players have been faithful to the system they have installed, which is now producing results.

"We've had a lot of growing pains, but we're where we need to be right now," assistant coach Frank Wilder said.

• Reporter: Scott Mason
• Photographer: Edward Wilson
• Web Editor: Matthew Burns