Skip to main content

The First Quarter!

Recently, I had the opportunity of capturing a day of Joppatowne high school football practice.  

Prior to shooting the stills I spoke with the head coach and the conversation was like that of every head coach, very modest.  I can respect that but fortunately I'm not bound to modesty. 

I believe they are the best kept secret in Harford County, Maryland. People that know high school football would probably think I'm crazy but it's simple.  

In the photos below there are two players that standout. The player that stayed home and played XBOX all summer and the other that worked his butt off to stay in shape. I'm sure the average viewer would say that the photos look blurry.  Well, they are.  I shot them so you could see what the out of shape kid felt like as the other young man pushed him to finish.  Sometimes that's what it feels like when you get to the end of something that you're not prepared for. Your vision gets cloudy, your body hurts and you just want to fall out so the pain will go away.  

In  the world of sports you learn to overcome the thought of giving up but more importantly you learn to prepare too finish.  That's why I picked Joppatowne as my sleeper this season. They have kids that don't believe in quitting or allowing their teammates to give up when things get hard.  In my days at THE EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY our strength coach Jeff Connors preached to us that quitting wasn't an option and that we would be the best conditioned team on the field. Some how after 4 years of running 300's he made me a believer.    

I'm sure that the coaching staff at Joppatowne would agree with me if they could. When size and speed are limited, having players that are committed and resilient makes the job much more promising at the end of everyday.   These young men are examples of what preparation and putting dreams in motion are about.  Keep them on your radar.  I'm positive that they will produce great things this season.  

Good Luck Fellas!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Measure of a Man.........

the details are below the photos it's a must read story for the men.... The title of this blog maybe familiar to some, it's that of the autobiography of actor Sidney Poitier.  When you mention his name the words courage, great, intelligent, daring, brilliant and faithful may come to mind.  I've got a new name that replaces those words, Von Johnson.   My friend. My brother.  My cousin.  My new HERO. How and what does that have to do with the title? Yesterday, I observed what it means to live the final portion of your wedding vows,  "till death do us part"...... I can't even put it into words how I felt yesterday.  The only word that comes close is "helpless".   It was one of the rare moments in life where you want to take someone else's pain and throw it down the river and start fresh. I learned what the measure of a man is all about.   Can you live on life's edge and handle all it dishes out?  Can you stand in the toughest moments of opposit...

The Players That You Never Knew

With the opening Friday Night of the 2014 high school football season on the horizon, every barbershop in every small-town in America is probably buzzing with the conversation of who are greatest high school football players of all time.  It's a valid question considering the pool of talent that passes through most small towns.  People often wonder where these guys end up long after their playing days are over.  I've often asked the same question about many of my ex-teammates. Two in particular, Darius Brewnington and Kenny Shaw. If you were an athlete in the early 1990's they were arguably considered two of the most influential athletes in North Carolina's rich high school football history.  Unfortunately, like many other high profile athletes life happens.  However, even with the growing pains of life every man has his day of redemption.  With Darius and Kenny being former teammates of mine I wanted to see for myself who they are 20 years removed fr...

Pete's Road Trip

Two weeks ago my friend Pete decided to take a road trip without me. If you're like me, you're probably thinking some friend right? I guess it goes to show you that like most friendships, we too were total opposites. In our teen years, Pete was always there for my major sports accomplishments. For example, when we went to team camp at High Point University he and I won the 2 on 2 competition for the first time, together. A few years later we won the North Carolina State 3-A Basketball Title, and in my sophomore year of college he was in the stands when I scored my first collegiate touchdown. He and our mutual friend Johnny were going nuts. I celebrated so hard that Lamont Burns had to slap me so that we could kick the extra point. Pete was like a little brother to me. So like any other sibling relationship, I would have never told him that he was my motivation for my many athletic accomplishments. It's a part of the unspoken sibling code, worry your brothers, sis...