Alright so today I actually drove over to Rosemount High after emailing back and forth with their coach for weeks. Finally got the green light to come check out football practice and chat with some key players. Honestly was buzzing to get my notebook out and see these kids in action up close.
First Steps Getting In
Parked my rusty SUV near the field around 3 PM just as the team started warmups. Coach Davis waved me over – dude’s built like a brick wall himself. We shook hands and he immediately started pointing out players while chewing gum like it owed him money. “See that tank? Number 55? That’s our starting center Jake.”
Nailing Down The Stats
After warmups I pulled aside four guys Coach called “game changers”. My notepad got wrecked scribbling while wind blew my pen everywhere:
- Jake Morrison (Center): 6’2″, 285 lbs. Bench press 315. Coach said he pancakes defenders “like waffles”. Made him grin.
- Marcus Lee (QB): Threw 28 touchdowns last season. 4.5 GPA weirdly. Shy kid until I asked about his spiral – then talked nonstop about grip techniques.
- Tyrell James (RB): Rushed 1100 yards. Has 4.4 speed. Showed me his phone wallpaper – him stiff-arming some poor kid into next week. Laughed way too loud.
- Ben Carter (Safety): Five interceptions. Punishing hitter. Told me “hearing the oof when you slam someone? Best feeling ever.” Chillingly honest.
The Unplanned Stuff
Coach dragged me over to watch conditioning drills. Saw Ben puke after sprints – tough kid. Marcus helped him up patting his back. Later found Jake secretly feeding stray cats behind the bleachers when he thought nobody saw. That’s the gold you can’t Google.
When the sunset hit we wrapped. Got burger grease all over my notes when Tyrell insisted I join team dinner at this hole-in-wall joint. Walked out stinking like fries and high school hope. Exactly why I do this stuff.