The stands filled up minutes before the first game of the season took place and the pressure built on the Legacy football team. While returners had high expectations for the young newcomers, the newcomers just soaked in all the roaring and dedicated fans for the first time.
Senior Sheldon Hogan, starting quarterback, No. 17 for the Broncos, helped his team battle out a win against the Lovejoy Jaguars, 54-35. Hogan has confidence in his team and knows that they are prepared enough to go farther than any other Mansfield school has ever gone.
“I have very high expectations for this team and I see greatness in each of my teammates,” Hogan said.
Hogan says being the quarterback holds him to a much higher standard, as well as even being on the Legacy football team itself. Students look up to the football players on and off the field. They see how they act in the hallways, classrooms and not just the field.
“Being quarterback feels amazing to me, all eyes are constantly on me,” Hogan said. “I love the pressure the school and fans put on me because it makes me work harder.”
This year’s team includes 25 seniors, 20 juniors and 18 sophomores who feel pressure after the loss of 44 seniors who graduated in June of 2014.
Head football coach, Chris Melson, holds his team to the same high standards as last year. He expects the team to give great effort and to maintain a positive attitude through the highs and the lows and to steadily improve throughout the season. He wants to work and focus on constant improvement in his players.
“It means a lot to start off with a win,” Melson said. “It gives a young, inexperienced team a lot of confidence.”
Hogan believes the team was expected to win the first game because the they have been working hard for so long. He leads his team by example, on and off the field, no matter what happens.
“It was still a monkey lifted off our backs and gave our young players great experience,” Hogan said. “It let everyone know Legacy’s dominance is here to stay.”
The Broncos play Crowley for homecoming at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
