The Fair Grove Middle School Football team jumps into action by kicking off their 2018 season. Combined between the seventh and eighth grade, the team includes almost thirty student-athletes. The seventh grade is smaller than it’s been in years past, but according to Head Coach, Marc Green, the newcomers are energetic and eager to learn the game.  Out of the eighth graders returning to the sport, Green expects Jaxon Rowden to have an outstanding year at his quarterback position. Rowden has been playing football since he was in first grade, and is prepared for the season. He emphasized,“This year I think I’m more ready than I was last year. I have a good team behind me that will get the job done.”

Former Assistant Coach, Randy Roepke, left the team at the end of last school year to take a new position on the high school team. His position was filled by Chris Holt, who will be splitting his time between the high school and the middle school throughout the season. Green explained, “It was a great opportunity for Coach Roepke to make a move to the high school staff. He is very knowledgeable about football and I think he brings a lot of energy to the staff. We are lucky to be able to have Coach Holt at the middle school level this year.”

The team’s ambitions this year are to play as much as possible, and to prepare for high school football. Green acknowledged, “Our goals are the same year in and year out. We want to continue teaching our athletes the fundamentals of football and overall teamwork, field a competitive team that represents our school and the football program, and prepare our athletes for future success at the high school level.” When it comes to goals on an individual level, Rowden chimed in with, “I really want to get the ball around more and just be the leader that I wasn’t last year.”

The middle school football season starts in September, and lasts until mid-October. They will have a game every Tuesday at 5:30 PM.