TUESDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: Flucos get off to fast start

The Rodney Redd era at Fluvanna County opened with a bang on Friday night — and a howl of wind and a torrent of rain.
The Flying Flucos found themselves in the middle of a weather system during their 26-8 victory over Prince Edward County in their season opener. Fortunately, they had just the weapon they needed in Fork Union transfer T.J. Dudley, who drove the running game in the sloppy conditions.
“We got out there and it was fine. It was very humid,” said Redd, who noted that Fluvanna was fortunate to be on defense during most of the squall. “A cell came up very fast and it was raining in sheets and the wind was blowing. It felt like we were in a small hurricane for about five minutes.”
No butterflies
The win was the first at the varsity level for Redd, who is no stranger to winning, having spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Monticello — a stay that included one Group AA championship and a return trip to the state semifinals last season.
According to Redd, instinct took over once he reached the sidelines.
“All my life, I’ve either been playing ball or coaching ball,” he said. “I’ve been an athletic director before, an assistant coach — I’ve been in a lot of big games. At this point, it feels natural.
“Once the game started, when you’re standing on the sideline and it’s real and everyone’s looking for me to have the answer, it was a different feeling. But after the first few plays, our kids were playing well and it just became old hat.”
A strong start
While Redd was pleased with his team’s effort and the result on the scoreboard, Fluvanna also defeated Prince Edward in the 2008 season opener before
dropping its next three games en route to a 3-7 finish. The Flucos won’t have things too easy next week, with a road game against Group A contender Madison County before their home opener against Buckingham County two weeks later.
But Redd is encouraged by his team’s play and thinks his players can build on the result.
“It’s confidence for myself and for my coaching staff, and more importantly, confidence for these young men,” he said. “We’ve put in a lot of time and hard work. We’ve talked about winning and talked about being good, but when you actually go out there and execute and take it to somebody, it really gives you a good feeling and good momentum.”