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Lion Pride: Reflections of an undefeated freshman football season

By: Brandon Kebba

I sat in my uncomfortable desk anxiously awaiting the bell to echo throughout the empty halls. This sound would finally set me free after an entire day of worry. I could hear the whistles and cheers in the back of my head, making it hard to focus on my teacher's usual boring lecture. Buried in thought, I almost didn't hear the bell ring. I picked up my bag and walked down the long, flooded hall. Making sure to avoid conversation, I took the door next to the Lion's Den, leading me into the open courtyard. I noticed from a distance my teammates on route.

After a difficult week of practice the Bellarmine freshman football team was off to battle Olympia. Both teams were undefeated and eager to step onto the field. I walked into the awkwardly quiet locker room and realized that my teammates were just as nervous as I was. Grabbing my pads, I recalled the week of summer practice when these items were issued to me. "Man, we've come a long way," I thought to myself. I could picture all of us crammed into that same room. Everyone was quiet and didn't know what to expect.

I was careless then. I believed our performance didn't matter because we were just freshmen. I was corrected when one of our coaches stated, "You make the big time where you’re at." We had played our season so far with the aspiration of an NFL team. We worked as hard as we could from the first huddle to this moment of reminiscence.

While I sat there on the wooden bench, re-adjusting a pad in my pant leg, two words caught the attention of my eyes on the white board. In red letters the words, Lion Pride, had been lazily scribbled. I thought about what it meant, and certain ideas instantly came to mind; unity, strength, desire. We would need all of these traits in order to keep our undefeated score. Everyone had requirements, and personal tasks he needed to complete. As a team, we all shared the same goal, to play united. Too many times have I seen opponents get mad at their teammates because of errors. Strength and desire are also required for a team, as well as outstanding effort to persist, even when injured or fatigued, and a longing to improve by receiving the coach’s knowledge.

I strongly believe that the freshman football team is an awesome example of Lion Pride. The short-lived serenity was interrupted by our coach’s entrance through the rusted door. "Game time, boys!" he proclaimed. At once we all stood and scrambled out the door towards our battlefield, hungry for a Lion victory.