“Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz

Growing up in a small town where everyone knows everyone, Friday nights at the football stadium are always packed. Away or home, rain or shine, the dedicated fans always seem to make their way to the games to cheer on their beloved football players. The crowd roars as the 50-yard throw is caught for a touchdown, and the enthusiasm from the players themselves makes sitting in the uncomfortable bleachers worthwhile.

Every Friday morning, football players wake up and do their usual morning routine and begin their day with education. Pep rallies are usually held in order to pump everyone up and get them prepared for what the night holds. Once the players are dismissed from school a pregame meal is provided by selfless individuals who give their time and money to prepare and distribute the food. The players then usually have down time before the game and spend it relaxing, preparing for the night ahead. The players all perform their pregame rituals together and receive their pep talk from the coaches and then walk proudly of their locker room, through the run-through sign, onto the field, ready for action.

There’s nothing more important than when the football players suffer a tough loss and the fans continue to support them. I think the fans sometimes forget that this is a high school sport and the players aren’t perfect; they will make mistakes and they will lose. Football is meant to be enjoyable by everyone involved- the coaches, players, parents, and fans- but it’s easy to forget that these boys are young and they aren’t going to execute perfectly every play. Actually performing on the field is so much more demanding and difficult than standing on the sidelines and watching the plays.

The other team wants to win just as badly as your team does, but we all know there can be only one victor. One of the best parts about football is the rivalry between teams, especially the battle between student sections. Students go to pep rallies at school then bring their school spirit with them to the game. Students tend to go all out- they paint their bodies with their school colors, their friends’ numbers and last names and yell at the top of their lungs when a great tackle is made. Football brings our small hometown together and turns it into a family. When a player gets hurt the whole fan section comes together and prays and hopes for a good outcome and as soon as the player stands back up, a huge sigh of relief is heard all around the stadium- from both sides. The healthy rivalry and smack talk is a huge part in football, but at the end of the day both teams want a safe, fair game to be played.

“Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.” - Vince Lombardi Jr.