Assembling the perfect football player

There are 22 players on the football field. Eleven play offense, hoping to push the ball into the endzone. The other 11 play defense, putting their bodies on the line to force a turnover and stop drives.

To master a sport as demanding as football, an athlete must hone the main qualities of the various positions, players said.

“Every position needs speed because if you are faster than somebody, you can outwork them,” senior full back Bryson Yates said.  “When I run along the sidelines, my speed gets me around the edge and gets me a lot of touchdowns.”

In contrast, if a defensive player charges at the opposing player faster than that player comes at him, then that extra force gives him more power into his tackle. 

Yates is able to maintain his fast sprinting pace by conditioning outside of football practices.

“I run on the track team so that really helps with my speed. We condition a couple times a week,” Yates said. “I run on my own, do a lot of lifts for my legs and a lot of cardio to keep our lungs big.”

Besides speed, raw power makes great players on both sides of the ball. For the Falcons, junior Mike Fitzsimmons, senior Henry Wei and senior Zach Hansen are some of the strongest players on the football team.  

“I need to use my hands a lot to throw people so my upper body strength really helps me get rid of them,” Fitzsimmons said.
   
Wrestling has shaped Fitzsimmons’s figure and provided him with techniques that he incorporates in his football game.

“My wrestling stance really helps me stay low and a lot of this leg strength comes from wrestling,” Fitzsimmons said. “[Wrestling] helps with my explosiveness from the ground and it helps me fire up and get my arms up.” 

The most important player on the field is probably the quarterback, a position that requires a strong and accurate throwing arm. Falcon players say they are lucky to have junior Jonathan Walters playing this position.

“Every day, I do stretches that [athletic trainer] Liz [Gilmore Alves] tells me to do for my shoulder, and I use a band to strengthen the little muscles in my shoulder,” Jonathan said.

Walters takes great care for his arm by icing it before and after practice, which makes his throws more effective.
   
Aside from speed and strength, every football player needs to have a sharp and cool mind in order to make quick decisions and remember plays under intense pressure. Walters demonstrates this ability in every single offensive play.
   
“A successful QB needs to maintain composure throughout every snap of the ball and be smart about what is going on in the game,” Walters said. “I know that I have to stay calm, so I can’t let the game get into my head.”
   
A football player who is a master in every single one of these traits is most likely headed for the National Football League, but the Falcons hope they have enough of them to take them deep into CCS this year.