In the four appearances the Varsity football team made on the field, they have managed to produce outstanding performances. Players Dominick Novello and Michael Cucinella can tell you all about the special attributes each of the players carry with them onto the field. With last year’s seniors being gone, the new seniors need to lead by example in the forming of team chemistry. Both players agree that even the best players need to have strong bonds with one another to produce a championship-winning team. 

Characteristics of not only a championship-winning football team, but a loyal one come from these attributes displayed by the seniors this year. Novello, a senior captain of the football team, often attributes the team’s success to its chemistry. For example, if one player is not playing their best, it affects the rest of the team. Novello displays these attributes needed on the field in his actions of responsibility, leadership, and support for the community. The chemistry needs to exist in all aspects of the players’ lives on and off the field. Through the way Novello speaks about being quarterback and linebacker of the Mepham Pirates and the amazing community, there is no doubt that there is a legacy he is leaving behind here at Mepham: “I want to pursue football after high school. It is a game I think about every day of my life.” 

Another vital part of the football community is the cheer and kickline teams. Sadie Hellerer, a junior on kickline, gives us an idea of the effort and technique the girls put into their routines. These carefully constructed routines lend support to the football players and inspire roaring crowds on game day. The kickline team practices four different types of dances consisting of pom, jazz, kick, and team. Pom consists of the kickline dancers using pompoms in their routines while also incorporating their synchronized high kicks and precise turns and leaps. It is also considered a “traditional” type of routine. A jazz routine incorporates choreographed dance moves and combinations as well as team uniformity and proper technical execution. Kick is composed of high kicks that require a critical technique for around 80% of each kick routine. Hellerer says, “My favorite dance to do has to be team because it’s a combination of all four dances in one.” Hellerer went on to talk about how hard working every single person on the kickline team is. Each of their performances must be practiced over and over to result in the perfect united routine they present on game day. The football games would be incomplete without the amazing performances that connect the team and fans with the community. 

As important as it is for the football players to keep up with their strong start to this season, there is also an opportunity for unforgettable memories. The four years these young men spend on the football team can undoubtedly become the highlight of a special time like high school. To have a community on and off the field is a necessity for teamwork and complete unity on the field. For Cucinella, another senior captain of the football team, football has been an irreplaceable aspect of his high school career. Though there is no way to predict a championship this year, every player will always be a pirate through the connection of football and community. With some parting words from Cucinella, he leaves us with this, “Make those friendships. Take those responsibilities and commitments because after four years, even though it seems like a lot of work, if you put in the time and effort it will all come out with great results.”

Down to the very core, it is attested to that playing a sport is not easy. The dedication that can easily go unnoticed by many of us, comes from our peers. Every time those players step onto the field they all have to give their best even on the worst day. Along with the representation of these teams’ hard work, they also represent how you should spend your four years getting involved in the Mepham community. The attributes brought into the school by the football players are already a forever legacy that will remain vividly remembered by all of us.