Three-time Varsity Football player, senior Zach Knox, is one of the new team captains and is now taking up the leadership role and portraying it on the 2014 Varsity Football Team.

Although the football season may only be in the fall, it is happening off the field all year round. The Varsity team goes through conditioning to keep the players in shape for the following year to kick off. Their off-season training consists of weightlifting in the newly furnished weight room, running and over the course of the year passing around the football.

After the 2013 football season, the team and coaches began to decide how the team for the following year will function as a unit and what type of leadership will they be under. Decisions like these can determine the heart of the team, as the captains are the ones who pull the team together by example.

Knox said, “We vote for captains at the end of the season and are announced at the end of the year banquet.”

This past spring, Knox was one the those chosen to be a team captain and now must be the one to lead his team to overcome the tough obstacles this fall season.

A captain needs to have the quality of being a leader so that they are able to pull their team together. Varsity football Head coach Beau LaBore described a captain’s leadership as someone who, “puts what the team wants to accomplish before what’s convenient and easy.” LaBore  added, “You can always look over to Zach and anticipate he is doing the right thing […] and that he is doing something to better the team.”

Becoming the new team captain, Knox has to adapt to the new team as last year’s seniors graduated and new team mates consisted of sophomores, juniors and seniors join the squad.

“Sophomore year I was playing with upperclassmen and now it’s weird seeing those sophomores and juniors looking up to you,” Knox said.

Since Knox has been on the team for all his high school career, he has had the benefit to learn the ropes from previous captains and team mates to make him a better player and, unconsciously, a greater captain.

Varsity football player, junior Brandon Rolf, said,” He [Knox] will know what he is doing at all times. Being around the game will help him make a lot less mistakes and find the places he needs to be on the field. Should help us out a ton this year.”

Since this past spring, Knox has been preparing for the season to be recognized as a captain. With the season underway, Knox and his other co-captains are ready to guide the team to a successful season. With challenges awaiting their team, they will find a way to get over these bumps and have a hard working season until the final seconds click off the clock.