It’s Friday night and the players fill the pitch black
locker room, having quiet time with the lights turned
off and headphones out.

“We slow it down before we go just to get everyone
focused and ready,” senior Landon Ross said.

Everyone gathers together for one last pep talk
before the real deal; pats on the back and encouraging
words go around. Some of the things the coaches say
the boys hear every week, but it’s all meaningful.

To Coach Marc Bindel, one of the most important
parts of prepping for the game is to make sure the boys
know to stay in the moment.

“You have to move on and go play the next play
because if you focus too much on the one before, you’ll
lose focus on the job coming up,” Bindel said.

The boys take their coach’s advice to heart.

“Really what it’s all about is being 1 and 0 at the end
of the week,” Ross said. “Not thinking about the last
week or the next week, but what’s going on right there,
getting a win for that week.”

The boys take their positions on the field. The first
kick-off commences and stress levels are at their highest,
even for the coaches. Once the game starts, their
focus is in the moment, eyes glued to the field.

“Leading up to that is what’s nerve racking,” Bindel
said.

However the game goes from there, whether it is like
the season starter against Abilene Cooper, won in the
last seconds, or a loss like with Denton Ryan, 42-10, the
players and coaches are constantly improving, learning
from previous mistakes, and getting ready for games to
come.

“I think the loss made everyone look in the mirror, not
just the players but the coaches as well,” Head Coach
James Garfield said about the game against Denton
Ryan. “We took a huge step forward because we were
able to see our faults and fix them, allowing us to win
the next week.”

Almost everyone has been to the games. They’ve
seen the lights streaming onto the yard lines. The smell
of popcorn and pretzels is familiar to nearly the whole
town. But only the players and coaches have been
through the intense preparations needed for those
Friday nights that leave people with a smile.

“It’s like a theater production, there are things that go
on backstage that people really don’t see,” Garfield said.

The coaches spend over eight hours every weekend
reviewing footage of past games and film on the upcoming
opponent. They then present the finished plays
to the players in a classroom setting every Monday,
preparing them for the game to come. Tuesday and
Wednesday, the boys are outside in 100 degree weather,
gearing up for Friday nights.

“It’s needed,” senior Caleb Levell said. “We have to do
it or there is no winning.”

All the dedication for the sport they love, coaches
and players alike, has motivation behind it.

Though everyone’s is different, they all have a similar
effect on the team as a whole.

“My motivation is the kids,” Garfield said. “Growing up,
my coaches were a big influence on my life. They taught
me things throughout the game that I carry over in
life. That’s what I hope our football staff, not just me, is
teaching these young men.”

Coach Gar has support in this from other coaches on
staff.

“I have a duty to my players and to the school to do
the best job I can,” Bindel said. “I never want to let them
down. The players work so hard, juggling school and
jobs, then coming and busting their butts for us four or
five days a week. So we always want to make sure we’re
prepared to do what we have to do. What motivates me
mostly, is dedication to the boys. If I keep trying hard to
get better they will keep trying too.”

Amidst all the preparations, the boys continue to
work hard for every win, pushing themselves every
week, and getting closer to their goal.

“We were so close to state championships last year,
but we didn’t quite get it,” Levell said. “That’s the goal
I’m working towards this year, to make it all the way.”