FCHS continues offensive development

PALMYRA — As the injuries, sickness and defections started to pile up for Fluvanna County last season, one injury didn’t get exactly the attention it deserved because it happened in a pickup game somewhere near Palmyra after the Flucos season opener.
That’s when Felix Marte dislocated his shoulder.
“We knew he was a good back last year because he anchored our J.V. team, but he dislocated his shoulder and was out for the season,” said head coach Joel Gray. “He finally got cleared about a week into this season.”
His return is paying off. Marte and wideout Danny Edgell have emerged as a pair of confident playmakers, solid compliments for do-it-all quarterback Ryan Foster, who has piled up 260 yards on the ground and another 701 through the air.
Marte rushed for a 13-yard touchdown against Charlottesville during a critical Fluvanna victory last week, and in the last few games he’s pulled in 134 yards receiving and rushed for 113. If Gray is correct, the shifty Marte may just be getting started. 
“It’s just about getting back up to game speed,” Marte said. “But you don’t ever get a real good shot on him.”
Edgell has been a reliable target for Foster through the air, particularly on fades down the sideline. The senior has a knack for making plays because of his reliable hands, and he’s piled up 236 yards already this year, including two touchdown catches.
“He can catch anything —
anything close to him,” Marte said.
The tandem’s emergence has been key to Fluvanna’s offensive development. The Flucos seem to be taking baby steps, a part of the natural progression of any team trying to master the spread offense, a complicated system that needs extensive work.
“We’re getting to be more polished with it and we’re starting to spread it out more,” Edgell said. “The more balanced we are the easier it is for me to get open.”
The Flucos are also running through practice at near-breakneck speed, running through their drills at a high tempo that keeps players engaged and helps create some of the speed Fluvanna’s coaching staff is looking for during games.
But for that to matter much, Fluvanna is going to need that breakthrough victory — a program-altering win that could vault the Flucos forward. A win over Western Albemarle, one of the Jefferson’s more consistent, steady programs, would go a long way toward making that happen.
“We can make a statement if we go out and beat them that we’re not going to fool around, that we’re here to work,” Edgell said.