Elizabeth Koo

Wide receiver Folarin Oshe throws with a teammate during football practice on Sanders Field.

As Thursday afternoon dimmed with rain, Kinkaid’s new freshman-only team jogged out to the 35-yard line of Segal Field to kick off its second game of the season. Though the weather continued to worsen, the players remained focused on their goal: winning. 

Freshman coach Mr. Bobby Eggleston said the decision to create the first freshman-only team was difficult, but ninth-grade sign ups for football reached record heights last summer with interest from 47 freshmen, which was three players away from the typical maximum number of football players per team.

Now, as football season is just beginning, the team will face a test of whether it can succeed.

Mr. Eggleston emphasized the difference between the transition from middle school to high school football.

“A lot of our players still want to play like middle schoolers, but the speed and physicality of high school football is a lot different,” Mr. Eggleston said.

To get to the high school level of football, training is rigorous, consisting of practice early in the morning and late into the afternoon. 

“We spent six weeks in the summer training and two hours per day practicing together,” said freshman Grant Pearce. “But I think I’m a lot faster from the conditioning, and my bond with my teammates has increased.”

Safety Wyatt Cureton agreed.

“Playing with my friends I’ve been with since middle school and watching them grow, makes me push myself harder,” Cureton said.

Pearce added that the combination of discipline and teamwork allowed for smooth communication, which contributed to the team’s success on the field.

“We fight for the team,” Pearce said.

So far, the freshman team has fought and won 35-7 against Second Baptist School and lost 6-14 against Episcopal High School. This past Thursday, they won 27-8 against St. Thomas High School. 

“I’m pretty happy with how this season’s been going,” said linebacker Michael Peters. 

The team hopes to win as many games as possible as they are setting the precedent for potential freshman-only football teams. The team’s current record is 2-1.

Based on the numbers of seventh and sixth-grade football players in middle school, Mr. Eggleston said this could easily be the norm for the next two years.

“If the numbers continue around 100, I’d imagine we could continue to have three teams,” he said.