The boys JV football program, coached by coaches Ratterman, Bush, and Willis, started the season off 2-2 with wins against Parkway Central and Mehlville and losses to Northwest and Webster Groves. On Monday they take on Seckman in an away matchup.
Junior starting quarterback Holden Hardcastle says his favorite part of being on the football team is “being with my teammates and building trust with them on and off the field.”
Freshman linebacker Mike Smith said he loves being a Patriot football player.
“Football builds great relationships with teammates, it’s fun, and it creates so many opportunities for things like scholarships,” Smith said. He says that his goal for the team this season is to “win over 5 games.”
Sophomore defensive lineman Ryan Azim talks about his first JV football experience.
“I had 6 tackles and 1 sack. It’s fun to be on the defensive line with my teammates and get tackles,” he said.
Because all levels of football practice together, people on JV and freshmen levels practice with players on varsity as well.
“You meet a lot of new people and coaches and build strong relationships with them over the course of your high school career,” Azim said.
Athletes can struggle with managing sports and homework, and the football program does a great job of making time for students to get homework done, according to Sophomore Dylan Meier.
“Football is a great way to learn time management–you have to adapt to your schedule and make time for practice and schoolwork,” he said.
The next upcoming game for JV football is against Seckman High School at Seckman. Meier has high hopes for his team and has confidence they can beat them.
“My favorite part of playing football is scoring in games,” Meier says. “Team dinners are also really fun.”
“Football is the best sport a high school athlete can play,” Hardcastle said. “It teaches you a lot about important life skills.”
