“When I was a little kid, I played Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) flag football, and I really enjoyed playing quarterback for my team.
Then, I didn’t play football at all until my senior year and started playing again. I thought it was my last chance to be able to actually play real tackle football, so I decided to join the team. I really like watching football and the National Football League (NFL), and I just wanted to see what it was like to play.
I hadn’t decided on what position I was going to be, but then I realized there was only one person who was practicing for quarterback, which was senior Will Hazen. In every other position, there’s 10 people who are doing that, so I thought that would probably be my best chance to actually get some action.
The first game of the season was against Beaumont United, and I wasn’t the starter. I was only in a few scrimmages, but I was playing with the JV players. I had never actually played a real game before.
All of a sudden, Will, the starting quarterback, starts holding his shoulder. I didn’t want to have to go in there, but then he got hit again on his shoulder. He took off his pads and was crying in pain, and then I knew I would actually have to go in there.
The last play of the half we were on offense. I thought we’re just going to kneel it out. Our coach called a deep play, but I literally was so nervous. I got the ball and went down on the ground, letting the half end. All the coaches and other players were like, ‘You got this. I believe in you.’ I just wanted them to stop talking to me.
I was trying to get myself together, and then we went into the second half. I thought that we would probably call a lot of run plays since I didn’t really have any experience. I thought they didn’t trust me, but coach Jamal McTear came out and just started calling all these plays, and it actually started to work.
I made some good throws, and I heard the crowd get all hyped. It was a surreal experience, like it was crazy. It wasn’t a complete disaster.
A big part that I struggle with, especially coming in as my first year, is being a leader in terms of bringing energy. This is especially in games where either we’re blowing them out or we’re getting blown out. I didn’t realize that that’s something I have to be doing until I actually experienced the games. Mentally, I had no thought process before or during the play of what was happening.
Honestly, sometimes I didn’t even know what people were doing. I called the play, and I didn’t know what route it was. I would usually just hone in on one person and throw it to them even if they weren’t open, which led to some interceptions. It was all kind of a blur, and I had to work through that, so during the games, I could manage my emotions and be able to analyze what was happening.
As far as my life, I definitely made a lot of new friends from football that otherwise I wouldn’t have. It taught me discipline because I had to be there at 6:30 a.m. every single day. It’s so much of a team sport that you really see how much goes into the game, including what the coaches have to do and what each person has to know that all come together.
I met a lot of new freshmen this year, and hopefully they remember me and think I was pretty cool. I try to be nice to the younger kids and become friends with them. When I was younger, I was just always nervous about what people would think. Just talk to people and be yourself. I’m going to Texas A&M and majoring in sports management because I’m really passionate about sports, especially watching it and not just playing it. The dream would be to be in the NFL, or be a college coach or general manager. I like to study football through watching a lot of YouTube videos about the NFL, so I still have a lot of passion for that. I see it in my future for sure.”
