The smell of body odor, stinky feet and Axe fill the air, and the heat intensifies the aroma. The field is split up in two sections, one side for seventh grade and the other for eighth grade. It’s a constant blur of motion with yelling and teammates cheering each other on. The parents are sitting and watching their child very intently.

Football is back at Dobie Junior High and you can feel the anticipation of the team for their first game. Our coaches and players are already working very hard to be prepared.
Dobie eighth grade Head Coach Lanoue briefly discussed this season. “I have been coaching 16 years and so far this is one of the best teams,” said Coach Lanoue. He has set the bar high: “Championship, yes definitely and an undefeated season,” Coach Lanoue said. “This season we have a very, very focused and disciplined group of guys.”
Not only did the Coach give his input on the season, the players did as well. Thirteen-year-old Brian Bondoc, 8th grader, said practice has taken a toll on him. “I like practice a lot, but now I’m always sore. The coaches are good and we have a great chance of winning,” said Bondoc.
Quarterback Wyatt Begal, 8th grader, added, “I love going to practice and getting to improve. I love my teammates. They are like brothers. I love the experience.” Begal hopes to win district this year.
Joseph Trevino, 8th grader, agreed with Wyatt in saying that the team has bonded like brothers, he said “I feel like we can do big things, we’ve been together for years and football has made us bond like brothers.”
Many of the athletes, including Xavier White and Begal, described football as their “life” and “passion” They said they use their passion for football to set goals for the future. Eighth grader Rhenden Lopez has high hopes for high school. He said, “I want to make varsity freshman year.”
Trevino said he also has goals for high school, saying he wanted to “make varsity sophomore year.”