Fighting Through Adversity

For most high school football teams, they are fortunate enough to fill an entire freshman, JV and varsity team with players.  They are able to let these young men get their feet wet at the freshman level, then slowly ease into the speed of the game at the junior varsity level.  Once they reach the varsity level, they are use to the speed, play calling and aggression of the game.  The Comets haven't had that luxury this year.  They've had to combine the freshman, JV and varsity teams in order to make a full roster at the varsity level.  Injuries and the low numbers for kids to come out and join the team have forced the Comets to unite at all levels of the football program. To most, this may seem as a ridiculous thing to do, but when you love football as much as these boys do, you'd do anything to keep this program strong and thriving.

A big reason why the spirits of the underclassmen have been able to flourish is because of the leading abilities that the captains possess.  I spoke with senior captain, Jacob Monaghan about some of the struggles and benefits with having a young football team.  Monaghan said, "It can be hard sometimes, but the freshman and sophomores are willing to learn.  They'll come up to me with questions and guidance and I'm more than happy to help them."  Jacob has only been playing with this team for two years, but he has made his presence known and is a great captain to look up to.  Junior captain, Karlos Moiser had a similar answer.  He said, "The young kids have had some trouble adjusting, but they are putting in the work.  When something needs to be done, they step up to the plate and do it."  Karlos was in similar shoes when he was on varsity last year.  As a sophomore, he had to play some quarterback and played almost every play on defense. As an underclassman last year, he knew it would be tough, but when his number was called, he came through.  Patrick Porter is another senior captain on the team.  At the moment, Porter is battling an MCL sprain and has kept him on the bench for a couple weeks.  That hasn't stopped him from instilling confidence on the team.  Porter still shows up to practice every day and when the Comets were down last Friday, he was keeping everyone's head in the game and boosting the morale of the players.  When I asked him what it's like being a captain for the Comets he said, "I love it.  It does come with a lot of responsibility though.  These underclassmen look up to us and we need to lead by example."  The fourth and final captain of the team is Jason Beckner.  Jason is a junior and has done a lot for the team.  He's been able to make big plays during games and not only get the players involved, but the entire Coleman crowd as well!  When I asked Jason how the team has been responding after a rough start to the season he said, "They've had some tough times, but they know that we're only a play or two away from taking over a game.  Whenever I see one of the players hang their heads, I do my best to keep them going and fighting for us."  All of these young men are not only captains.  They are lifelong friends, teammates and role models.

The captains meeting at the 50-yard line for the coin toss before the Carson City game.

This great leadership and focus has brought all of these athletes together.  They've all been asked to make sacrifices for the team and have been willing to do so.  When you have captains like this to look up to, it almost makes it easier to want to fight and be apart of something like this.  That drive and determination that is instilled within all of the players will be great for the remainder of the season and future Comet Football.  The coaches have had to adjust accordingly to all of these changes and they've done a tremendous job.  Bringing all of these players together to fight the fight is a beautiful thing to watch.  They bless us with that beauty every Friday night when they put those helmets on and lace up those cleats.  So keep pounding boys and remember to always play Comet Fast!