Football wraps up spring season

Benjamin Nopper, Section Editor • May 25, 2018

Sophomore Harper Pool breaks a tackle and sprints to score a touchdown.

With 12 spring training sessions and the spring scrimmage now in the books, the football team will now direct its attention to preparing for the upcoming fall season.

Head coach Todd Ford said he was pleased with his team’s development over the two weeks of spring practice.

“We’ve made a big step forward from week one to week two,” Ford said. “Offensively, I like how we’ve started to gel up front with some of our big kids, and defensively I like how we have been able to run around and get a lot of people around the football.”

Ford said that while last Saturday’s scrimmage was exciting for the players to get back into competitive action, his staff viewed the event as another practice.

“We were able to put on some nice jerseys and have a little fun, but as our staff approached it, it was our eighth practice,” Ford said. “We weren’t going to get too excited or too disappointed because we knew our next practice needed to be better.”

Rising senior quarterback Carson Collins said that the scrimmage was “promising” and showed the team’s potential.

“There were a lot of good plays, but there were also some things we need to work on,” Collins said. “Overall, it was a good learning experience and definitely promising to see.”

Rising junior defensive tackle Tyler Beidleman said he feels this year’s team will be successful but also noted that the team’s younger players need to step up.

“I was excited to get back to work after going through all our practices,” Beidleman said. “A lot of underclassmen are going to have to step up in a lot of positions, but we will have strong unity on our defensive line.”

Though the spring season has come to an end, the team will participate in a summer Performance Course session for strength and conditioning.

Ford said about “90 percent” of his roster has been decided, but there will still be opportunities for players to prove themselves before next season.

“If you’re still on the bubble, how hard you work this summer will be the deciding factor,” Ford said. “Performance Course will be the indicator of whether you will be up or down.”

About the Contributors

Benjamin Nopper, Section Editor

After joining staff and becoming an editor his sophomore year, Benjamin Nopper is enthusiastic to spend his senior year in the newsroom he considers to be his home away from home. Benjamin walked into room E103 two years ago feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of the unknown‒writing for an award-winning publication without much previous experience. Hundreds of articles and dozens of close relationships later, he now understands that writing enables an individual to have a meaningful impact in his community. A disciple of his former boss, Nick Smith, Nopper retains his position as sports editor for the third consecutive year while also contributing as an opinion writer. However, if it were up to him, he would run his own satire department. Outside of the newsroom, Nopper plays baseball and serves as an FCA leader. Nopper is also a member of Student Council, NHS and Spanish Club. He enjoys embarking adventures with his three dogs, spending afternoons on the golf course, and feeding his unhealthy coffee obsession. Nopper also loves to watch Impractical Jokers, the show that admittedly inspires some of his lighthearted interactions with his friends. Upon graduating, Nopper intends to study business and eventually attend law school.

Grace Nguyen, Section Editor

Fueled daily by three iced vanilla coffees, standing at 5’2”, Grace Nguyen will walk into the E103 door with no problem. Grace is entering senior year, and the only reason she is believed to have survived high school is because of the napping couch in the photography studio. During her time on staff, Grace has been to almost every football game, win or loss, and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Yes, Grace has been tackled by football players, run over by coaches, and body slammed by referees. Nonetheless, Grace will confidently walk on the field this year, bruises and all, alongside her sideline media team. Stepping outside the newsroom, which is rare, Grace enjoys playing softball, hanging out with family and friends, and finding excuses to go to every $3 Pazookie Tuesdays at BJ’s. After high school, Grace hopes to pursue a career in sports photojournalism, so watch out for her still getting run over by athletes on ESPN in the years to come. Although it’s bittersweet to leave newspaper upon graduation, Grace is thankful for all the opportunities that she’s had on staff. Through The Red Ledger, Grace created long-lasting friendships and won a lot of awards that she never imagined was possible. Grace hopes that current and future staffers will think of this national-award-winning publication the same way as she did–a second family and their home away from home.