Marlboro’s Faircloth to play at SUNY Morrisville

By Mike Zummo
Posted 5/13/20

 

After playing his senior year for the Marlboro Iron Dukes, C.J. Faircloth was looking for a college football program that was on the rise.

That led him to SUNY Morrisville, and a …

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Marlboro’s Faircloth to play at SUNY Morrisville

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After playing his senior year for the Marlboro Iron Dukes, C.J. Faircloth was looking for a college football program that was on the rise.

That led him to SUNY Morrisville, and a Mustangs’ team that is in transition with a new head coach and a national search planned after the fall 2020 season for a permanent replacement for Curt Fitzpatrick.
Defensive coordinator Ed Raby Jr. will coach the Mustangs in 2020.

“I want to be on a team that’s on the rise and do things with them they haven’t done before,” Faircloth said. “I wanted to be on an underdog team and hope that we can possibly win a championship.

The Mustangs finished 6-5 last year and took 3rd place in the Empire 8 conference. They handed conference champion SUNY Brockport its only conference loss.

Faircloth was a two-way player for the Iron Dukes in in his senior season, running the football and playing inside linebacker. He’ll be on the defensive side of the football at Morrisville.

“I just want to show them that I’m there for them as brothers and want to get that starting position,” Faircloth said. “I have a chance to do that with all the seniors that have left.”

Morrisville will be Faircloth’s third team in as many seasons. A transfer from Kington High School during the winter of his junior year, he played baseball for the Iron Dukes last spring, and then football and basketball this year before school was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“C.J. came to us as a stranger when we needed a middle linebacker,” Marlboro football coach Brian Beck said. “He came in and merged seamlessly with the team and really owned the position. He also became an outstanding runner out of the backfield. He had the speed to break away from anyone.”

Faircloth led Marlboro to a 6-2 regular season record and an undefeated mark in Class B Division I but were defeated in the Section 9 Class B championship game by Port Jervis on Nov. 8.

“He was a tremendous practice player,” Beck said. “He was also a senior. Even though we only had him for one year, he was an elder statesman and he motivated everyone to play their hardest.”

Faircloth joined Marlboro football program in the spring during the offseason workout program while he was a member of the baseball team. Even though he was new, he said the Iron Dukes took him in as a member of the family.

“Everyone around town was happy that I was there,” Faircloth said. “It was just love and nobody was jealous. There was a lot of energy and passion for the game. All your buddies were on the field and wanted to win.”
Faircloth pointed to the Iron Dukes’ 28-21 loss to the Class A champion Cornwall Green Dragons. Marlboro was down by two touchdowns, came back and closed the gap, even though Cornwall got the last score.

“We just knew that all 11 players were going to give their heart out,” he said.
He plans to take that same energy to Morrisville, where he plans to study criminal justice with an eye toward becoming a state trooper.

“C.J.’s a hardworking kid in the classroom and on and off the field,” Beck said. “Morrisville’s got themselves a great young man. He cares about the team, the game, and his academics. He has a strong family background. His parents have always been very involved with everything he does. He is in a position to flourish when he gets to that college campus.”