Chopticon Football Looks To Rebuild Identity Through Work Ethic, Togetherness

MORGANZA, Md. — The Chopticon High School football team is focused on establishing a stronger standard of work heading into the 2026 season, with conditioning, effort and consistency at the center of the program.

“Really, I think it’s work ethic, like conditioning and work ethic, trying to create the standard of what is an acceptable level of work,” coach Anthony Lisanti told The BayNet.

For Lisanti, that standard means more than simply showing up to practice. He wants his players to understand that success requires full effort on every repetition, from hustling between drills to absorbing coaching and focusing on proper technique.

The goal is to develop a team that supports one another while consistently putting in the work necessary to improve.

“Togetherness, that’s one, meaning they support each other very well,” Lisanti said. “We talk a lot about brotherhood.”

That emphasis on brotherhood has been a major part of Chopticon’s offseason. The team has participated in activities away from the field, including bowling and a team camp, as Lisanti looks to build relationships among players who might not normally spend time together.

“I think it was in March, a group of about 20 of them went bowling together,” Lisanti said. “We went to team camp together.”

Chopticon also spent the offseason working to become a more physical football team. Lisanti said building strength was a major point of emphasis after the team was not among the strongest teams in the conference.

Football, he said, is a collision sport, and the Braves need to become stronger if they want to compete consistently.

The improvement has also extended to the offensive side of the ball. Lisanti said the running backs worked hard during the offseason to become stronger and faster, while the offensive line has started to improve its understanding of angle blocking.

That progress has helped the run game begin to come together.

The offensive line is particularly important to Chopticon’s plans after being a weakness last season. Lisanti said offensive linemen need both physicality and intelligence because of the variety of defensive looks they face.

“We’re working on the toughness,” Lisanti said.

While the offense continues to develop, Lisanti sees communication as the key to the defense. He believes the Braves have intelligent defensive players but wants several quieter players at key positions to become more vocal and take command.

The process has been gradual, with communication being emphasized every day in practice.

Chopticon’s identity is still developing, but Lisanti believes the team can become a multifaceted group capable of winning in multiple ways. He expects the defense to play quickly and pursue the ball while the offense continues developing both its passing and running games.

“We need to be good in the run game, the passing game, special teams and defense,” Lisanti said. “That’s multifaceted. We can hurt you in a variety of ways.”

One of the biggest challenges will be competing in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference, which Lisanti described as one of the toughest conferences in Maryland. He expects the schedule to test the Braves throughout the season and believes maintaining focus will be critical.

Discipline will also be important. Lisanti said Chopticon struggled with penalties last season and believes the team can significantly reduce that yardage by improving its self-discipline and concentrating on execution.

At the heart of the program, however, is the desire to bring back the identity Chopticon has traditionally been known for.

Lisanti wants the Braves to once again be viewed as a tough, competitive team that plays together and can beat opponents on any given Friday night.

“The first step is buying into the culture,” Lisanti said. “And the second step is getting into the weight room in the offseason.”

As the Braves enter the season, Lisanti hopes the work done throughout the offseason becomes evident on the field. More importantly, he wants his players to understand that their development extends beyond football.

His message to the Chopticon community is simple: Come out and support a team that is working to change its culture through hard work and togetherness.

“The boys are working hard,” Lisanti said.

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