The sun beams down on the glistening faces of the football team as they push their sleds across the grassy field side by side in the scorching heat. Across the field, football coach Todd McVey yells chants of encouragement to the team as they prepare for the latest season.
The team started off the season with a bang, with two seniors, Ashton Funk and Eduwa Okundaye, winning the Houston Touchdown Club award in early August for their pre-season excellence, playing offense and defense. The Houston Touchdown Club recognizes both coaches and players for outstanding performances for their work the previous season. Both Funk and Okundaye have brought the team great pride, with McVey expressing how proud he was of both players.
“It [ the Houston Touchdown Club award ] was great for our community, and great for those guys to represent us,” said McVey
After their disappointing loss last year to Bridgeland High School last year, one of their main focuses this year is to set expectations for each player to put in their part. McVey emphasizes to each of his players the importance of having a balanced and disciplined life, and how that can help them perform better on the field, thus increasing their chance of winning.
“I think it [ winning ] still comes down with the people, and our people have to outwork the other people playing,” said McVey. “You know, it’s kind of like Tompkins. It’s a special building, but it’s the people inside this building that make it special.”
The football team values both teamwork and leadership for its upperclassmen, especially for seniors, and with the influx of seniors this year, they have become a key part of the core of the team. Along with McVey, Funk, a team captain, will step in and help lead the team. Funk plans to take on this role by helping guide the underclassmen into success.
“I just try to do my best to make sure they respect me, and that we have a mutual respect for each other and if we have that I think we can understand that there’s leaders and then there’s followers,” said Funk. “And with that, we can properly engage in that relationship and try to play as a team.”
Winning against Cypress Ranch in their first game, the team showed a strong push in the beginning. However, their second game was a disappointment for the team, losing against Bridgeland once again. Although this has not gotten the team down. For each game, McVey expresses that the players should not get their spirits down and internalize a loss, rather, they should focus on how the team can improve instead.
“Tompkins is our only competition,” said McVey. “Ourselves. Tompkins, only. We want Tompkins to beat Tompkins, so we gotta give everything to ourselves.”
