Cruz, Fortson proving a point with Eagles
By Banji Bamidele
MDJ Sports Writer
Two years ago, when the former
coach Mark Hollars departed the
North Cobb Christian program,
and left players with a choice
to be made about their future.
When faced with the decision
to stay or leave, Jacob Cruz and
Caleb Fortson proved their loyalty
KICKOFF ‘22 153
and decided to earn their
glory the hard way.
“A lot of us were thinking of
making changes, going to different
schools but we stayed here
and we bought into what coach
( Matt) Jones brought for us,”
Cruz said.
To this point, the Eagles program
has not been known for
producing Division I prospects.
Cruz and Fortson have changed
that image, and potentially, will
be the first FBS/Power 5 players
in team history.
“These two have grown a
tremendous amount during
their time here,” coach Matt
Jones said. “Their hard work,
commitment and loyalty are
truly paying dividends for our
program and they are reaping
the benefits.”
The duo has a combined total
of 31 collegiate offers from
schools such as G eorgia Tech,
Memphis and North Carolina.
Cruz, a 6 -foot-5 206 -pound
linebacker, tallied 121 tackles
last season, and at tight end
caught 20 passes for 281 yards
and a touchdown. He earned All-
State honorable mention and was
last year’s Region 7A Defensive
Player of the Year.
Cruz said he has only one
goal in mind for the upcoming
season.
“My goal would be to have
fun,” Cruz said. “I’d say sophomore
and junior seasons, all my
intention was focused on getting
exposure. So, now that I have my
options, the goal for this season
is to lead the team and just have
a fun season.”
Fortson, the 6 -foot-4, 300-pound
center, was a stalwart on the offensive
line and played both sides
of the ball, earning 29 tackles at
defensive tackle. He has high aspirations
for a team that would
be looking to improve from last
year’s 3-8 season.
“I feel like we can at least make
the elite eight,” Fortson said. “I
feel like we can definitely make
a deep playoff run just because
we now have the depth that we
actually have at our positions
that we needed.”
The winning ways of the Eagles
did not come instantaneously as
it took a change in perspective
and attitude in the players and
community.
“I would say the senior class
from when we were in eighth
grade, they made the switch,”
Cruz said. “They went 10-2. So,
I’d say from that point on, it was
like NCC has talent now, they
can actually play. It was just a
matter of getting and being able
to perform on the field.”
The 2018 team had the best
season in school history, resulting
in a culture shock that spread
down to the incoming freshmen
like Cruz and Fortson.
“It was a culture thing because
I don’t think a school can go
winless without talent, ‘’ Fortson
said. “It’s hard to not win
a game. I think we didn’t have
the winning attitude. And now
that the senior class that came
in and instilled that winning attitude,
it has changed the program
as a whole.”
As for their legacy once they
leave the halls of North Cobb
Christian, the seniors want to
change the viewpoint of the football
program forever.
“I want to pave the way that we
can make it out of here,” Fortson
said. “You can go to college from
here. That’s the biggest thing for
me, because I know from hearing
from a lot of people in the past
that it really didn’t happen as
much and now that we’ve done
it, they don’t say the same thing
anymore.”
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