With the arrival of spring, the varsity football team suits up for preseason. Coach Kilgore teaches the team how to switch up the speeds for snapping the ball (slow, medium and fast) while attempting to transit the play from the sideline to the field more effectively.

“If it’s effective, it could throw off the other team to give us a head up,” Kilgore said. “And for preseason, it is mandatory to play for next year, it will let us evaluate the depth chart, which is showing who is starting, who is first string, second string, and so on. The players try and push themselves farther than they’ve done in the past, while we evaluate who goes where.”

Offensively, the team is trying to get the quarterback to not miss a thing, to catch everything that happens on the field.

“My goal for the quarterback is to see everything played out in front of him, so the team can’t get him down,” Kilgore said.

For a player to advance from JV to varsity they would to keep in mind that it is a big step up, going from Thursday nights with 300 people in the crowd; you go to Friday nights with about 1,000 people in the crowd. There is also the fact that consequences are much greater, and require a bigger commitment to the game. And, if they get their name in the newspaper, they have to keep a cool head and not become “bigger” than everyone else.

Senior Darius Smith, and varsity quarterback, will be graduating this year, so three players will be competing to take his spot. It takes leadership, support and the will to lead his fellow players.

“I think I could be a good leader for the team, I will show support through any situation and I will work as hard as I can,” potential quarterback Quentin Hasten said.

Quentin Hasten, Brandon Michaels and Kennedy Jones are competing for the next quarterback spot. Only one can make it. They are all showing traits of leadership for the team. It’s up to the coaches to decide.