Beginning on a field, some athletes say bonds and friendships are made and grown into what becomes a connection as strong as family.
Unlike “usual” friendships, teammates bond and experiences pile upon each other, supporting the relationship and making it stronger as the friendships last. Bonds not only are built upon experiences, but also trust, and in team sports trust and communication are everything.
In football, if a football team didn’t communicate what play they were running, the play would not go as planned, as positioning and direction would throw them off.
.
“If you don’t trust what the guy’s doing next to you, then that means you’re trying to do two people’s jobs at once, and that’s not how a team works,” Jonathan Druding, PRHS senior and varsity football team quarterback, said.
Rudy Contreras, PRHS junior and varsity football defensive lineman, presented the ideology of an uncoordinated team; the team cannot resume whether it be a game or merely practically without every last player’s cooperation.
Druding expressed how without communication the Bearcat football team would barely be able to get through warm-ups at practice.
PRHS Bearcat football players hold special bonds. A tradition of our PRHS varsity football players is “Taco Tuesday” at La Reyna Market although the menu does include, but is not limited to tacos, tortas, and burritos.
“We just think of it more as collaborating and building that team chemistry, so then when we actually get in the game, we are more fond of each other,“ Contreras said.
Not only do these athletes come together every Thursday to spend their lunch period together, but they also pile into fast food places such as Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, and, on special occasions, In-and-Out Burger post-games to further bond, win or lose.
Regardless of Bearcat football’s 2-8, win-lose, record to complete the season, these athletes continue to persevere, and work together towards a hopeful, more positive outcome in the foreseeable future. Talen Freitas, PRHS junior and varsity football defensive back, said, “The biggest thing is as long as we stick together as a team, like our coach says, we put our heads together and kick the other team.”
Reflecting on his experiences as a football player, Contreras emphasized the profound impact that the sport has on personal development and relationships.
“Football builds not only chemistry, it makes you a better person…also builds friendships that go along with it,” Contreras said.
Contreras says he still holds bonds, or friendships, with seniors who have graduated over two years ago.
These seniors that Contreras mentioned still remain a part of his life regardless of how long ago they graduated and continued in their chosen career paths. With this, a conclusion can be drawn that Bearcat football is not only a program, but an everlasting family community.
A coach will always work towards a unified team, but “there’s only so much a coach can do,” according to varsity head coach Matthew Carroll.
