CFNN Reporters AbbiKate Daughtry and Rachel Leonard 

Football Fridays are back in Colt Country! Friday night Cape Fear Football had their season opener against Douglas Byrd at home, pitching a shutout and winning 42-0. Talk about a strong start! This game was just a preview of what Colt fans can expect for the rest of the season. The Colts scored early and often, as touchdowns were plentiful, and a lot of yards were rushed, returned, and received. 

The Colts approach each game with a focus on unity and working together to win, but there are a few Colts who got the ball rolling and made a name for themselves under the Friday Night Lights. 

Senior Quarterback Geronimo Sanchez went 4 for 9 passing, throwing for 71 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. He also had 4 rushes for 65 yards and 1 touchdown, helping his team clutch that 42-0 victory. 

“Spread them out, complete short passes, keep the chains moving. Don’t fall behind the chains, and run for the yardage: that’s what we do,” Sanchez remarked on his vision to make the next match up another victory.  

Another Colt who made a very impressive mark during last Friday’s game was Jason Nelson. His efforts on the field were applauded post game by being named the Farm Bureau Player of the Game. He had 8 rushes for 85 yards and brought the Colts 1 touchdown, helping his team clutch the  42-0 victory. This Senior Running Back is going to be a fun watch this season. 

Nelson said, “I tried to bring extra drive to what everyone else does; if I make a good play, everybody else makes a great play. My goal is to motivate my team, including defense- to do what they do best.” It’s clear Nelson has a “leader” mentality, and wants pride and grit to be a ripple effect across the team. 

The Cape Fear Colts showed out in their season opener, collecting yards and making runs. Junior Landon Underwood had 2 receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown, Senior Chosen Wynn had 1 reception for 16 yards with 1 touchdown, Sophomore Darrian Kariotis had a 15  yard interception return for a touchdown, and Senior Diante Hargrove had an interception he returned for 25 yards. 

Kariotis, who contributed to the win with a Pick-6, shared some insight on the rest of his projections for the season, despite battling an injury. “I am hoping to bring extra help in the backfield. I am trying to get a Pick per game and keep building up,” said Kariotis. 

Not only was it a stellar night on the field for the players, but it was a memorable night for our Coaching Staff and entire Cape Fear Community, as they rallied behind Coach Thomas for his 100th career win at Cape Fear. 

For the past 13 years, Coach Thomas has been paving the way for Cape Fear Football to be so successful. Through every win and loss he has pushed the program to grow and overcome and Friday night showcased all of his hard work. 

“Obviously we want to win, but at that point those 100 wins are in the past, so we want to focus on the team we have now, and what we are doing right now,” said Coach Thomas. “We want to keep on working on getting better every day. Our goal is the same: we always want to do better than what we did last year– try to improve on that. That’s going to be tough because we had a really good team last year but this is a different team. They have got to develop their own name and get their own reputation by the way they play and the way they work.”  

Friday night Coach Thomas gained his 100th win as Head Coach for Cape Fear football and he doesn’t plan to stop this winning streak anytime soon! Over the years he has sacrificed time with his family and holidays to coach his team to be the best they can be leading them in amazing regular season records, playoff wins, state championship runner up, and now his 100th win! Congratulations Coach Thomas! 

Come out this Friday night to the Home of the Falcons to cheer on our Colts as they face 71st. After Terry Sanford beat 71st last Friday, giving the Falcons their first regular season loss since 2021, it’s going to be a thriller to see how the Colts rise to the occasion on August 29th and see if they can do the same. Take the trip across the river and get loud for Cape Fear!