J.P. Elder Middle School’s winning ways raise football expectations at North Side
Fort Worth North Side’s football team made history this season by reaching its first playoff game in more than 40 years.
The Steers won five games, the most since many players on their roster were even born. Head coach Joseph Turner wrapped up his fifth season. They averaged less than three wins during his first four years at the helm.
After a second-place finish in district and a first-team all-state selection in junior wide receiver Da’Wain Lofton, the tide continues to turn for the program.
And it’s trickling down to one of their two feeder programs, J.P. Elder Middle School.
Football at J.P. Elder was a laughing stock in the Fort Worth community, but things have changed as the team has posted back-to-back undefeated district championship seasons for the first time ever.
“The coaching staff and coach Turner got on the same page. We wanted to build the program from the bottom up. We were all passionate about coming in,” said Elder coach Dale Erves, who’s in his second year. “We want those kids to have a taste of winning so when they go to North Side, they’re even stronger.”
Last year’s 8-0 squad was the first time the Yearlings had an unbeaten football season.
“Those kids have been working hard and it’s paying off,” Turner said. “The right people finally came in and changed things. They’ve all done a great job. There’s a lot of talent and the players have followed the plan. They bought in and it’s going to pay dividends when they come to the high school.”
The team then went 9-0 this season with six shutouts en route to a successful defense of their Division I district title.
“We wanted to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke,” Erves said. “I was impressed how the kids gravitated toward the sense of urgency to win now. It shocked a lot of people in the middle school world. My message coming into this season was to silence the remaining doubters and make everyone believers. I know they had some pretty good teams in the ’70s, but they never went undefeated. And now to go back-to-back, it’s quite an accomplishment.”
Added 8th grader Ethan Martinez, who plays quarterback and defensive end, “Coming into Elder to play football, it was tough at first especially since we were considered the underdogs, but in the process we became a brotherhood. This season was tougher since we had more to prove since everyone still doubted us, but we went on to make history.”
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Deserved recognition
The team was recognized last year by the Fort Worth ISD school board and will be again on Jan. 28.
“Glad those kids could experience that as well,” Erves said.
The team was also recognized during the North Side vs. Poly game on Nov. 2. It was the perfect day as the Steers won and clinched their historic playoff berth.
“My experience for the past two years playing football at Elder has been amazing,” said 8th grader Rudy Sebastian Fernandez, who plays tight end, defensive end and long snapper. “Having a great coaching staff and awesome teammates, we were able to go undefeated these past two years. I am proud to be a part of this and to be able to look back at our accomplishments.”
Added 8th grader Ruben Vasquez, who plays running back and safety, “It was a great experience to be part of this team for two years in a row being undefeated. Hard work really does pay off.”
Heritage pride
J.P. Elder is the largest middle school in FWISD and has a larger enrollment than some of the high schools.
With the football team being 100% Hispanic — and the school being 95% — the players decided to enter the field with the Mexican flag before every game.
“It was an opportunity to display a sense of pride for their culture. The kids asked me about carrying the flag out and I agreed 100%. It was big part why we were successful,” Erves said. “They had to believe in themselves and take pride in themselves. Only way was to embrace their culture. Don’t be ashamed about their heritage. Be proud of where you come from and proud of your community. It was a bond that brought us together and a symbol of our journey.
And it spans out to the North Side community.
“Now we’ll have coaches from other schools asking us what we’re doing at Elder and really it’s about the kids buying into our game plan,” Erves said. “When kids start to believe that anything they do is possible with a great work ethic, they can achieve everything in life, not just football.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
