High School Coach of the Week Chris Rivera of Calvary Christian High brought his daughter Kayla and son Christian with him as he and Athletic Director Mark Anderson (right) accepted the award from Bucs Head Coach Raheem Morris
Calvary Christian Head Coach Chris Rivera taught his team to persevere, and it paid off with a big win in district play last Friday, as well as the Buccaneers High School Coach of the Week award for Rivera…The school will receive $1,000 to apply to their football program
Chris Rivera, varsity football head coach at Calvary Christian High School, firmly believes that hard work and perseverance pays off. After the Warriors' most recent game, his team now believes it too.
Following tough losses to Orlando Lutheran Academy, Indian Rocks Christian School and Admiral Farragut Academy, Calvary Christian bounced back to defeat Cambridge Christian 30–6 last Friday, October 2. In their first victory of 2009, the Warriors matched their season point total coming into the game, as the visiting Lancers struggled to contain Jordan Ankrom. The senior running back caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Johnny Hubbard in the second quarter and ran for scores of 20 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Rivera's Warriors, now 1-1 in district play, travel to Victory Christian Academy this Friday to try to run their winning streak two games.
As a result of his team's big win, Rivera was named the Buccaneers High School Coach of the Week for Week Five of the 2009 season.
Joined by his son Christopher and daughter Kayla plus Calvary Christian Athletic Director Mark Anderson, Rivera visited One Buccaneer Place on Wednesday morning for a tour of the team's training facility and an opportunity to watch the Buccaneers practice. Following the Bucs' morning session, Head Coach Raheem Morris greeted the group and congratulated Rivera on the win over Cambridge Christian. During the visit, Anderson shared his feelings about Coach Rivera's award and the One Buc Place outing.
"It was a humbling experience," Anderson said. "I'm sure there are many other coaches out there that are just as deserving to win, but we're thankful that Coach Rivera was picked and I'm happy I was included and able to come along."
Along with a signed certificate, Buccaneers hat and personalized football, Rivera received $1,000 towards the Warriors' football program.
"It was interesting to get a glimpse of what it's like for the pros, and to see their facility is certainly encouraging," Rivera said. "I'm humbled by the opportunity to use the $1,000 for our program because that's probably about an eighth of our operating budget from year to year. We're probably going to use it toward editing software. This was a great experience."
The Buccaneers will honor 10 high school coaches from West Central and Central Florida during this year's prep football season. A Coach of the Year, who receives an additional $1,000 for his football program, will be selected from the ten weekly winners at the end of the season. The Buccaneers and National Football League's Coach of the Week program aids in the development of youth football, which has a positive influence on young athletes and the communities in which they live.
