Football is a contact sport in which physical strength and speed are important. But the most important thing in football is tactics and the captain’s ability to make contact with the team. In any sport, the captain is the brains of the team. This year we have three of them.
Tyler (#11) is a senior this year and it is his first year playing with the Locomotives, but it is not his first year playing football. He played in Texas when he lived there and he is one to watch on the field. Tyler says, “The reason I like football is because when you put the pads on and you get into the mentality of getting to hurt the player and you finally get that good hit in front of people you want to see you play and you get this rush of adrenaline.”
Bailey (#15) plays a very important position as quarterback. His actions determine how the offense develops and whether the team scores a touchdown. As Bailey has started his Junior year of high school, we are excited to know that this will not be his last year of Locomotive football.
Michael (#13) is a senior and has been playing football for Huntington since they let him start playing on the team. “I've been playing football every year of high school. It is very fun and it is nice to be on a team. I love to play defense the most when I play.” Michael is one of those football players that can play just about any position on defense.
Locos played three games this season, which unfortunately did not end in our favor. The first game was against last year’s State Champions - Wheeler County. Most of our team played football for the first time, so the result was an unsatisfactory 73:0. But we must admit that it was really a good experience.
The second game was much more intense and intriguing. From the very beginning of the game it was obvious that the guys made conclusions and played completely differently. The game was tied until the last second. The fourth quarter ended with a score of 36:36. Unfortunately, in overtime, the Dayville Tigers scored another touchdown, ending the game.
Our third game was disappointing to say the least. Unfortunately, we could not finish the game because three of our players were injured, but we will have almost two weeks of practice to better prepare the team and the new coach is conditioning us the best he can.
Our coach's name is Austin and he spent many years in the US Navy. He's probably the youngest coach in Huntington, since he's only 28 years old. Now he's back in his hometown and coaching our football team. In high school, he played the position of running back. He started coaching because he wants to share his experience and work with the students.
The Huntington Locomotive football team is looking forward to the Homecoming game followed by watching the volleyball team play Prairie City on October 7th. The football game is at 1 pm followed by the volleyball game at 4 pm. We hope to see a crowd full of black and gold cheering on our athletes.