So yesterday afternoon, I was scrolling through my phone when this pop-up notification about George Washington High’s football team popped up. Got me thinking – I drive past their field every morning but couldn’t name a single player or coach. Figured why not dig into who’s actually on that team?
First thing I did was grab my laptop and head straight to the school district’s main website. Totally useless! Just generic schedules and ticket prices. Then I remembered their athletic department has a separate site. Clicked through about five pages before I found the “Team Roster” section buried under “Resources.” Classic school website nonsense.
Started jotting down names from the roster list. Quarterback’s some kid named Marcus Johnson – junior, wears number 7. Running back Elijah Rodriguez apparently broke three tackles in last season’s opener according to the stats page. For the coaches, saw head coach Miller’s been there 11 years. Assistant coach Davis played college ball which explains why their defensive drills look so sharp during practice.
After that, I hopped over to Instagram and searched #gwhighfootball. That’s where things got interesting! Found players’ personal accounts showing:
- Linebacker Tyler Chen deadlifting 315lbs in his garage gym
- Receiver Jamal posting catching drills with his little brother
- Freshman kicker Ben looking nervous in his first jersey photo
Then I realized – duh! – should check local newspaper archives. Our town paper actually has decent sports coverage. Found articles mentioning how coach Miller runs “character first” workshops every Thursday. Also learned guard David Miller (no relation to coach) almost quit last year after his mom got sick. Community raised $8k for medical bills and he stayed on team.
Finished around midnight with three pages of notes. Crazy how much you learn when you actually pay attention. Now when I drive past those morning practices, I’m not just seeing random kids in helmets – I’m seeing Marcus working on his spiral, David blocking with purpose, coach Miller yelling drills he probably learned back in college. Changes everything.