When Jack Brown stepped out onto the Paul VI football field, he felt he was making history. Though the COVID-19 pandemic nearly robbed Brown and his teammates of their inaugural season, the football players were the first team to play at the new campus.
Brown, a senior, has played football since his freshman year. He loves the Friday night lights atmosphere, the hours in the weight room with the guys, the team lunches. He appreciates the camaraderie and the lessons he’s learned on the field. “It’s taught me how to win and lose,” said Brown, an outside linebacker. “It’s taught me that people rely on you to do certain things and you have to look out for others more than just yourself.”
In the fall, Brown will attend James Madison University in Harrisonburg, and he hopes to walk onto the football team. “If I wasn’t playing football, I feel like I would miss being in a brotherhood with other guys,” he said. It’s something he realized this fall when he wasn’t able to play football. Instead, he worked out alone, lifting weights and running drills on a field.
This spring, he and his teammates were together again during an abbreviated season. They played just three games, but won them all. He’s grateful to his coach and athletic director for making the season possible.
“They understood how important this was for kids my age to be able to play sports,” said Brown. “It felt like a return to normal life. You could forget what was going on in the outside world and just play some football with your friends.”
