Jared CohenSunnyslope Head Football Coach Damon Pieri was overseeing his physical education class while his students were running sprints three years ago. There was one player who stood out to him. It was a young man named Tim Fryson who was a new freshman at the school.
“I had just watched him run some sprints and I said ‘Hey Tim, why don’t you go out for football,’ and he said ‘ah coach it’s probably too late,'” recalled Pieri. “So I told him to go and find out who the football coach and ask if you can go out and play.”
That was the moment that Fryson realized that Pieri was the football coach and a relationship would form within the Sunnyslope program would begin.
Fryson was brought up to the varsity level as a sophomore and on his first carry in his first game, he ran for a 60 yard touchdown against Washington. Though his sophomore season was cut short with an elbow injury, it was the start of big things to come.
“Sophomore year I was very nervous,” Fryson said. “Every team looked big and I had to thank my o-line. Ever since then, coach has been working with the offense. Coach has been getting me better, getting me drills, and progressing each game.”
“He’s a special kid and he has special talent,” mentioned Pieri. “It’s something you can’t coach. His change in direction, his vision. You get him out in open space and he’s a big time player.”
The Vikings are out to a 5-0 start to the 2014 season and through those five games, Fryson already has 15 touchdowns. Eight rushing and four receiving. He had a 24 total touchdowns as a junior last season. Being one of the most versatile players offensively in the state as he can lineup in the backfield in a power formation, catch passes out of the backfield and even line up in the slot as a receiver.
With Fyrson as one of the main playmakers leading the way, Sunnyslope has put together something special over the last year and a half. They have won 15 regular season games in a row now after going just 4-6 for the 2012-13 season.
“We’ve just been working hard in the summer,” mentioned Fryson. “Summer workouts have been mandatory for us and we have just been going hard during the summer and then putting it out there on the field on friday nights.”
Sunnyslope will look to make it 6-0 against Cactus Shadows next week.
