Hello, Tigers! My name is Edlani Vazquez. I am currently a junior taking Intro to Journalism. I decided to ask some of the football players and coaches how they think this season went for this year’s Varsity Football Team. Here’s what they had to say.
This is Joshua Jetters. He is a junior in high school, and this is his third year playing football for Elmwood Park High School. I asked Josh how he would prepare before a game physically and mentally. This is what Josh had to say: “Before games, I like to listen to music and drink C4. I believe that when I listen to music before games it helps get my head in the right space.” I asked Josh how he handles pressure before games since it’s stressful playing in front of a bunch of people who are counting on you and your team to win. This is what Josh had to say, “I like to have a strong mind because I’m the one on the field, and I feel if you let the pressure get the best of you then you won’t have a good game.” With that being said, here’s what one of Josh’s coaches had to say about him. Coach Solis says that Josh is a really good player but doesn’t know his worth, explaining, “Once Josh understands his powers, he will be dangerous.” Coach Solis thinks that Josh was a great role model for the younger players on the team and that being a junior with younger kids looking up to you means a lot. Solis believes that Josh knows what has to be done so that he can get to the next level. Solis knows that Josh is the type of player who feels if he isn’t working hard, then there’s no need to work at all. And that’s the type of player coaches look for.
This is Timothy Chillis, who is a senior. This is his last year playing football for Elmwood Park High School. Tim says that he has a lot of love for the game, more than he thought. Football was a sport he did just for fun freshman year, but he started taking it seriously his junior year due to him having his season cut short his sophomore year. This is when he realized how much love he has for the game. Tim says that music before a game helps him get in the right mindset; he loves to listen to King Von. He also likes to drink two energy drinks before his game. As a senior athlete, you have a lot more pressure on you, and this is how Tim handles pressure before games. “How I like to handle pressure before games is I try my best to not let it get to my head because that can mess up your mindset for the game.” Coach Solis said that Tim did all his work no matter what. He never gave excuses on why he didn’t do something. It was never “I’m sorry, coach, I didn’t see him.” Tim always handled himself very quietly; he never asked anyone for help. Coaches saw that he had his younger brother on the same team as him and always thought that having him next to him on the field made him want to work 10 times harder.
This is Anthony Chillis, a junior at Elmwood Park High School. This is now his third year playing football, and he has a lot of love for the sport he plays but it has its ups and downs. When it comes to all of the negative comments from the fans or the coaches and even the parents who are watching, Anthony likes to block it all out. Before games, he likes to have a good meal and listen to music. One thing that really stood out was that Anthony said he loves when he gets criticism from people because it makes him want to work harder, which is rare. When some people are criticized, they tend to break down or want to stop playing their sport but not Anthony. Anthony believes that it motivates him to be a better version of himself on and off the field because the people watching the game never know how it really feels to play the game. Coach Terry said that this season was a few new experiences for Anthony and that he spent time playing different roles. This season, Anthony really learned how to come out of his comfort zone for the team. But what coach Terry noticed the most was the growth Anthony showed on and off the field throughout his years at EPHS.
This is Daniel Dohoney, a senior at Elmwood Park High School. Daniel has a lot of love for football and the competition. He loves going head to head with other boys his age and likes to show his strength on the field against the other players. Daniel says that before his games he likes to eat and nap to get into a good mindset. He also likes to think about all the plays and listen to music. I decided to ask Daniel how he handles criticism during the season, and here’s what he had to say: he tries to take the criticism he gets and learn from it because he believes that “everything is a teaching moment.” Daniel feels that there is always room for improvement, so all the criticism he gets from others, like coaches or fans, he holds onto while playing in order to try and improve.
The boys along with their coaches think this season went okay. They would definitely change some things, but all the boys loved playing side by side with one another and wouldn’t change the team for any other team.
Resources:
Chilis, Timothy. Personal Communication.
Chilis, Anthony. Personal Communication.
Jetters, Joshua. Personal Communication.
Dohoney, Daniel. Personal Communication.
Solis, Julian. Personal Communication.
Terrence, Terry. Personal Communication.
