Year after year, as fall begins to set in, Woodbridge High has had Friday night football games to look forward to. While most students experience these games from the perspective of a fan, the experience is, of course, always a particularly memorable one for the athletes competing down on the field.
Senior and varsity player Jovohn Cruz describes the one-of-a-kind experience of running out to play each week.
“It’s the best feeling,” Cruz said. “There’s no better feeling than that. Running out on Friday nights…having the crowd, seeing everyone get hyped for Woodbridge, …we [just] got to do our jobs to bring home some [wins].”
Fellow senior and varsity teammate Alijah Bray echoes the sentiment on how unique of an experience this is for the players.
“There’s no other feeling like it, love it or hate it,” Bray said. “I can’t describe it.”
Of course, a long week of preparation is required beforehand in order to get the team where they need to be for game day, a process that is meticulously structured to get everyone physically and mentally on the same page. Fellow senior and varsity teammate Aydrien Garnica details the process.
“Monday we just set everything in and get the game plan going; the rest of the week we’re just taking reps and going at it,” Garnica said. “Tuesday, we’ve got everything set up, we’re rolling…Wednesday [is the] same thing, and then Thursday we do a walk through…where we run plays, but we don’t do it in full pads. You kind of just go over them and smooth everything out.”
Besides the technical aspect of things, Cruz points out how crucial it is to get in the right mindset and headspace early in the week.
“We’re an emotional team, so I feel like getting the energy up the first Monday [before] the game is very important,” Cruz said. “Bringing intensity every day is good preparation for us to succeed.”
Bray further emphasizes the importance of maintaining intensity and energy, and how inspiring that mindset in the team as a whole is the backbone of all successful football programs.
“It’s not just a one-person thing; you can’t do everything [yourself],” Bray said. “You can be the best player in the world, but still have a losing team. So everybody has to stay focused.”
With football being such a team-oriented sport, in which each of the tightly coordinated roles of all 11 players involved in a play are intrinsic to success, building a strong rapport between teammates is vital. Garnica explains how important the relationship between teammates is not only for winning but also having a good time.
“Chemistry is obviously built up,” Garnica said. “It’s kind of hard to tell from a non-football standpoint…[but] in the game, everything is more tightly knit.”
Furthermore, when the team structure is working well, it provides a reliable support system for everyone involved.
“Every week we go into it wanting to win, needing to win,” Garnica said. “It’s really just [about] everyone bringing each other up, not letting anyone get down when we’re out there on the field or even at practice.”
Bray also agrees that making sure no one feels left out is a necessity in order to achieve the task at hand.
“We’re all in it for one reason,” Bray said.
As the high school careers of Woodbridge High’s senior football players come to an end, it’s a time to reflect upon favorite moments and memories of years past. One especially memorable event for Garnica is heading up to frigid Lake Arrowhead for the first round of the playoffs his sophomore year.
“It was almost snowing,” Garnica said. “We ended up losing by one point, but it was cool to be able to go out there and play with some of the guys in a playoff game.”
Sophomore year was also memorable for Bray, as he recalls the experience of winning the league that season.
“It was pretty cool because I was an underclassman [and] seeing all the seniors get hyped up,” Bray said.
Football can be home to a number of valuable experiences and life lessons outside of just the game, something that Cruz recognizes can be utilized just as well off the field as on it.
“Discipline, [to] be on time…be a team player is one of the biggest things,” Cruz said. “Always do everything 100%, always have good preparation in anything you do.”
For Garnica, his time on the football team has taught him the importance of relationship building and the skills that come with it.
“Being able to talk and communicate with people about football, and even outside of that,” Garnica said, elaborating.
For many, high school will be the end of the road when it comes to football. However, the varsity players’ love of the game is something that will be difficult to lose, and they express hopes to continue playing at a higher level if given the option. For Garnica, there would be no question about it.
“100%, I’d take it right away,” Garnica said. “Wouldn’t even think about it.”
Cruz also agrees that he would jump at the opportunity, but recognizes that not all would hinge on it.
“I’m gonna play football as long as it takes me,” Cruz said. “If college gives me an opportunity, I’m going to take it, but if not, it is what it is.”
For some, the path to Division 1 collegiate football may, in fact, seem truly attainable, such as for Bray, who’s already received offers from Eastern Washington and Weber State University. Bray looks forward to more to come.
“We’ll see what happens,” Bray said.
No matter how far football takes them, every member of the varsity football team at Woodbridge High will never forget the feeling of going out under the lights each Friday.
