Immediately after the bell rang after school on Friday, all the varsity boys, trainers, managers, and coaches prepared to load the bus to endure the hour and a half drive to Clark Field. Before heading to the 54-mile drive to Plano. The team stopped to grab a bite to eat together at Uncle Bo’s. The restaurant had closed especially for them and the boys socialized with one another before the big game.
It was my first time ever riding the bus along with the football players, and I have to admit, it was nothing of what I expected. I learned quite a lot about the team and everyone who impacts them as well.
On the way there, almost all the players had earphones in their ears listening to music or making fun of the boys who fell asleep. Coach Green was one of the first few to pass out across from me, and I took advantage of the opportunity to photograph him while a manager began to quietly untie his shoelaces.
The entire mood on the bus was serene as we approached closer to the stadium and the players began to focus on the game.
Once arriving at the field, trainers began to fill up the coolers with water, managers began to set up all the cameras, boys dropped off their gear in the locker room, while the coaches walked out to the middle of the field and stood silently to themselves to observe the stadium.
Not long after the Broncos were out practicing drills and warming up, the Wildcats had made their way onto the turf as well. Music blared as spectators had begun to arrive and charter buses pulled up with the Legacy band, cheerleaders, and drill team inside all of them.
Referees inspected all the balls for the teams, where I soon found out about the interesting story of the “Illuminati Ball.”
Embroidered on the ball is a ram with a diamond on its forehead. I spoke to trainers and players about the mysterious ball and apparently nobody has any idea where it came from, but every time they use it, the boys throw a perfect ball or always catch it.
Twenty minutes before the game, senior Student Council members met with the opposing side in the middle of the field for an exchange and held hands for prayer for the people affected in the recent Bastrop fires and death of an MISD student, Jaylen Roberts.
Legacy senior football dads began to assemble the inflatable Bronco head soon after Plano won the coin toss.
The game was intense and the boys tried their best to keep up. The scoreboard read 7-35 at the half, and the players made their way to the locker room again as the band and Silver Spurs began to set up. I took quite a few pictures already and took a break by talking with some of the cheerleaders or tossing the ball with Coach Kilgore and Coach Melson’s young boys on the sideline.
As the second half approached, the sidelines were filled with desperate shouts of encouragements to get back into the game. The Broncos did score two more touchdowns; one even in the last few seconds of the game, but it was no match for Plano, as we lost 62-21.
I thought the bus ride was going to be extremely silent, but most of the boys seemed to mingle with each other, the outcome had really only affected some of the leading seniors leaving them in a quiet mood. I definitely wasn’t thrilled about the bus ride home with the stench in the air of the boys, but it soon surpassed me as I eventually ended up falling asleep before even reaching the highway.
We didn’t get back to Legacy until around midnight and as soon as I got straight off the bus, I was exhausted and in a hurry to get right into my comfortable bed.
As I laid down last night, I thought about the entire game experience and seeing what all goes on behind the scenes, and after spending time with everyone involved in the football department, I truly believe the team still has the skill and potential to win the next few games of the season. Seeing them work together and encouraging each other on the sidelines were things not many get to experience. No matter what, our school always excels in class, and that is a true Legacy that I’m proud of.
