Every year the inevitable happens. Athletes we’ve known for, well almost forever, become seniors and we have to get ready to say goodbye.
It’s bittersweet really. It’s gotta be pretty cool to be the older guys. The players out there on the football field calling all the shots, knowing what to do in every situation and mentoring the younger guys… the future of the team they love so much. But, it will be sad to watch them step their cleats out onto that field for the last time. And as you can imagine, it will be even sadder to watch them walk OFF that field for the last time.
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This year we may be saying goodbye to as many as eleven football seniors. We might try, but nothing we say or do could ever stop it. It happens every year, we know that… and yet it really never gets any easier.
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The only thing we can do is get ready for the unavoidable.
Our high school football team is getting ready, that’s for sure. Summer training is optional for Manchester High School’s Football Program, but for the senior football hopefuls I spoke to this week, summer training is never really an option. These extremely dedicated athletes showed up day after day all through this summer. Remember those days when the heat index topped 100 degrees and we were all huddled inside next to our AC? These guys were in the weight room and out on the fields of MHS conditioning, lifting weights, dragging weights behind them as they ran in the sweltering heat and a lot of running. Why all of this training? They are working toward their one common goal, to take their team to playoffs.
Noel Cardona, James Landon and DJ Hernandez warn that Windsor, Southington and especially Glastonbury should be getting ready as well. These seniors have their sights set on beating these rivals. Sure, they would love to beat every opponent they face this season, but these three teams top their list.
Have you ever sacked a Quarterback? Sadly, as a corner, DJ never really gets the chance. And Noel, nose tackle for the Indians, admits he hasn’t sacked a Quarterback since his Midget Football days and would really like to get at least one more before this season ends. One thing Noel does not need is a repeat of an injury he sustained as a freshman. Two opponents charged him and he suffered a concussion. “I got up, took four steps and fell back down. I stood, took two more steps and fell back down. The last time I tried to get up I got up to my knee and down I went,” Noel described what happened after being hit. He still remembers that Coach Dan, his former Midget football coach, was the first one to reach his side out on the field.
DJ learned a lot from Coach Perkins last year, who no longer coaches at MHS and James owes most of what he knows to MHS Coach Masse. James knows Coach Masse believes in his players and never lets them give up on themselves. He drives them toward greatness whether at practices or on the sidelines of their football games when it really counts.
James being a former Midget Bronco, DJ a former Midget Jet and Noel a former Midget Giant, the conversation got a little “who’s better than who” for a second, but these guys play extremely well on the field as teammates now. Our town’s Midget program has since been replaced by the Pop Warner Manchester Sentinals, but these seniors have the same advice for all young players. Stay focused, train hard, listen to your coaches and take your game seriously.
They have a really good feeling about their new Head Coach, Clay Hillyer. “It feels like a new beginning, an opportunity for a fresh start,” says receiver James Landon. James has three touchdowns to his credit in his 3 season career here at MHS and is looking to increase that stat in his fourth and final season. He’s also hoping the incoming freshman have as much dedication and drive to win as he has. He’s ready to show these new guys what it takes to be a Manchester High School football player.
And what does he want from his fans? The exact same thing DJ and Noel want. They want everyone to come to all their games and cheer them on as loud as they can. They want the crowd to go wild this year. Could it really be that simple? Yes. All they ever want is our support. And I promised them that the cheerleaders and I will be out there getting the crowd insanely pumped up and yelling their hearts out for them at every game, home and away.
This link http://manchesterathletics.org will take you to the schedule for all fall sports at MHS, including our football games if you would like to join in on this season’s excitement. I know we would all love to see as many fans out there as possible!
Our Home Games at Manchester’s Memorial Field. See the link for any time changes.
September 13 hosting Windsor at 6pm
September 27 hosting New Britain at 6pm
October 4 hosting Newington at 6pm
October 18 hosting Conard at 6pm
November 1 hosting Simsbury at 6pm
November 27 hosting East Hartford at 6pm
And for our diehard fans who like to travel… here’s our away schedule. See the link for any time changes and directions to the fields.
September 20 vs Southington at 7pm
October 12 vs South Windsor at 1pm
October 25 vs Glastonbury at 6:30pm
November 9 vs Hall at 1:30pm
November 15 vs Farmington at 7pm
All three admit they aren’t really ready to leave MHS behind just yet. And not to worry, they do still have an entire year here. But looking forward to the future, James has his sights set on Florida State, DJ is hoping for Bryant although LSU is his dream school and Noel has his fingers crossed for Miami. Wherever they end up they will be amazing additions to their teams.
Until then? We have a lot of football games to attend and a lot of cheering that needs to be done. The more of us who come out and see their games, the happier they will be… and really, that’s what high school football is all about.
