Courtesy of FIU Sports Information
FIU soccer coaches have been identified at hand out a “loaf”, however it has nothing to do with bread.
Nothing that tasty.
Jay MacIntyre, FIU’s broad receivers coach, defined this week that he and the opposite coaches mark down a “loaf” for any participant who doesn’t go laborious in agility drills. Ross Fournet and Dean Patterson, each walk-ons in the beginning of spring observe, impressed MacIntyre with their hustle.
“It’s almost impossible to not get at least one ‘loaf’ for how many drills we ran in the spring,” MacIntyre stated. “Ross was the only person who went through the entire spring with zero loafs. Dean may have had one.”
Given these numbers and his bodily stature, it’s not an enormous shock that Patterson, a 6-2, 200-pounder from Tampa, earned a scholarship after spring soccer ended. Patterson impressed along with his arms, his route-running and his skill to “high point” the soccer.
Fournet, a less-imposing 5-9, 175-pounder from Orlando, wasn’t fairly as fortunate as Patterson, getting into this fall with out a scholarship.
“I was a bit upset,” Fournet stated. “But I decided to keep working for my team to be the best player I could be.”
Fournet stated it helped to have Patterson to speak to as they bonded over their shared historical past.
Patterson, in the meantime, tried to hype up his teammate.
“We were talking in the spring,” Patterson stated. “I told him, ‘It’s going to be both of us. Both of us are going to get scholarships.
“When it was me, I was happy, but I was also thinking about Ross. I said, ‘Trust me, bro. You’re next.’”
Patterson was proper.
FIU coach Mike MacIntyre – Jay’s father – introduced final month that Fournet had earned his scholarship. The locker-room announcement was captured on video, and Fournet was instantly mobbed by his joyous teammates.
“When he got his scholarship, I was the first one to jump on him,” Patterson stated. “It was everything he had worked for, and I was very excited for him.”
Fournet earned his maintain in final week’s season-opening, 38-37 extra time win over visiting Bryant University.
In the ultimate minute of regulation, FIU trailed 30-27 and had a fourth-and-10 at its personal 25. It was a dire scenario, however Fournet faked out his man on a crossing route, acquired behind a linebacker and in entrance of a security. Quarterback Grayson James tossed it to Fournet, who jumped up and was hauling within the ball when he was hit.
The move fell incomplete, however FIU acquired a game-saving first down after a concentrating on penalty was known as on the play.
“Ross is a warrior,” James stated.
Indeed, Fournet was hit laborious between his higher chest and slightly below his chin. He was on the bottom for about 30 seconds, and though Fournet is ok now, he missed the remainder of that recreation.
“I got the wind knocked out of me,” Fournet stated, “but I’m willing to lay my body on the line for our team.”
Meanwhile, Patterson, who was a Steinbrenner High teammate of FIU third-string quarterback Haden Carlson, arrived at FIU in 2021, enjoying three video games and catching three passes for 34 yards.
Fournet additionally arrived in 2021, enjoying one recreation and logging zero catches.
Both Fournet and Patterson have been recruited by the earlier teaching employees, led by Butch Davis, and so they needed to show themselves when Mike MacIntyre was employed in December.
That was very true as a result of MacIntyre had lots of receivers to select from. In truth, even after Bryce Singleton left to attempt the NFL, Shemar Thornton transferred to Northern Illinois and Teddy Richardson retired as a consequence of medical causes, FIU nonetheless had 15 broad receivers not named Fournet or Patterson.
Yet, Patterson was named a starter on the primary depth chart of the season, and Fournet is a second-stringer.
Jay MacIntyre stated Fournet has earned the nickname “Captain America” as a result of he does every thing proper.
Patterson doesn’t have the nickname, however his work ethic is equivalent.
“We gave everyone a clean slate this spring,” Jay MacIntyre stated. “The best players are going to play. The players who come to work every day are going to play. Those two guys (Patterson and Fournet) did that, and they outperformed the (other) guys.
“You can ask anyone in that locker-room. Dean and Ross block. They run the right routes. They know all the signals. They have done everything we’ve asked and more.
“That’s why they’re on scholarship, and that’s why they’re playing.”
