So I got roped into covering the Freedom High Eagles football roster launch this year. Gotta admit, I wasn’t thrilled at first – high school sports isn’t usually my thing. But hey, new experiences, right? Here’s how the whole messy afternoon went down.
Getting Setup Was Half the Battle
First thing Monday morning, I hauled my gear down to the school field. Thought I was early, but nah. Already saw Coach Henderson barking orders like a drill sergeant while assistants scrambled around with clipboards. The lighting sucked – mid-day sun harsh as heck. Tried finding some shade near the bleachers, tripped over a stray tackling dummy. Real graceful start.
Players started trickling out, looking either bored or nervous. I fiddled with my camera settings, cursing under my breath. My photography skills? Trash. Half the test shots were blurry messes or cut off helmets. Got Coach’s attention finally – dude just waved vaguely at the team bench like “figure it out yourself.” Helpful.
Trying to Talk to Actual Humans
Okay, interview time. Found the starting QB, kid named Jake Reynolds. Asked what he was excited about this season. Got a two-word answer: “Winning games.” Solid. His receiver, Marcus, couldn’t stop grinning though. Told me Coach runs them till they puke during summer practice. Charming.
- The new kicker? Barely 5 feet tall. Claims he can hit 45-yarders. I’ll believe it when I see it.
- Defensive captain looked like he ate linebackers for breakfast. Only cared about sacks. Seemed nice.
- Three sophomores huddled together whispering. Probably terrified. I left them alone.
Coach Henderson finally spared me a minute. Talked about “building character” and “discipline” for roughly three seconds before blowing a whistle at some poor kid who dropped a cone. His energy level made me need coffee just watching him.
The Final Hot Mess
After two hours sweating my butt off and getting mostly terrible quotes, I packed up. And that’s when the drama hit. Equipment manager runs up, panicked. Half the practice jerseys? Vanished. Somehow. Coach turns purple, starts yelling about responsibility. Players looking everywhere – under benches, behind goalposts.
I noped right out of that circus fast. Made my excuses, booked it to the parking lot while Coach was threatening extra laps for the entire offense. Got home, dumped my sweaty notes, and stared at the blurry photos thinking: Well, that was definitely a thing. Character building? Maybe. For me. Still no clue where those jerseys went.
