Football… The love of the game is the way to play. I used to be an old country boy from the dusty trail of Conquest, now a city boy living in Auburn. Football has always been the maturity of a boy turning into a man. I never expected to be able to play football. I was always told I was “too big” to play football when I was younger. I had the thought of never playing football. I told myself over and over again, “I’m never going to be able to play football,” but I was wrong. It wasn’t until 8th grade I got my first taste of football. The feeling of tying up cleats, the sound of thrashing shoulder pads, and the loud bang of helmets bashing against one another gave me a rush that I had never felt before.

The feeling of sweat dripping down your face and the smell of hard work was a great feeling after a hard day of practice. To physically and mentally learn how to play the game was the greatest feeling of all. Being guard on offensive and team captain was a ton of responsibility on my shoulders. Football is the only thing I love more than anything. Football is my life. Football is what I eat, sleep and breathe, day in and day out. To be physically and mentally prepared for football takes time to gain the knowledge and skills needed. It is no easy task.

Leadership… My father always told me to be a leader and to never give up even if things get out of hand. “Always lead the team and gain the respect of your fellow teammates; once you’ve done that you have nothing else left, but to play with everything you got”.. Those words have always been in my head ever since. Making my parents proud has always been a pet peeve of mine. Whenever I feel like I’ve failed them, I’m too ashamed to even speak. Even if I fail, I know they’ll always be proud of me no matter what. No one pushes me harder than my dad. He expects the very best, and nothing but the best out of me. To be the very best takes time, I’m nowhere close. I’ll give everything I have until the whistle blows.

Teamwork… There is no “I” in team. We cannot win by individually being the superstar. We need to work as one and be as dominate and powerful as much as we can. Pride… Pride is what makes us. Pride is what pushes us to our very best and keeps pushing us until the very end. You can’t win a game without pride. Pride is what pumps you and your teammates up during the game. Like my father always said, “Pride can either make you or break you”… Pride will always be the number one factor in winning a game.

You might be able to take the player out of the game, but you can never take the game out of the player.