The Homecoming game is the most popular game of the season for North’s football team. While everyone is having fun on dress up days and making plans for the football game, the football players are hard at work at practice. Jacob Stone, North’s quarterback, says, “On Homecoming week we take our practices very seriously but we make sure to keep it fun.”  The stakes are high for this game especially.

With the stakes being so high, advice comes flowing in. “I receive a bunch of ‘advice’ from fans..” Jacob says, “..occasionally it helps but a lot of time people think football is a lot easier than it actually is.” It must be annoying to recive so much advice when you’re the one leading the team.

Football has a reputation for making a high schooler popular. In movies and shows, football players are the guys that girls swoon over and the guys that every guy wants to be. But reality check, Jacob says that “..playing football does not automatically make you popular because people don’t really care about us when our team isn’t as successful as others.” Another portrayal of football players in movies are that they’re dumb jocks but Jacob also disagrees with this and says that a lot of North’s football players are great students.

Players must be dedicated to the sport because injuries happen all of the time. Kyle Splinter was injured this season with a dislocated shoulder. Jacob says “The worst injury I’ve ever seen was a blind side hit on one of our guys on kickoff.” Brutal. Really makes you wonder if the entertainment is worth the injury of the players.

Although this years’ season was a disappointing 0-8 score. The team is still close with one anther, not letting the losses get to them. “Our football team is a real close group, we all try to hang out after practices in the summer.” Jacob says. They’re a real team, bonded with one another like a family. How a team should be.