Because of his dedication and skill, Owen Copeland is football’s Freshman to Watch

Football season is here, and there’s a new player to represent the junior varsity squad — the quarterback. Freshman Owen Copeland is the new J.V. quarterback; according to coaches, he is a student to keep your eye on.

Copeland has been playing flag football since fourth grade, and it’s his third year playing tackle. Copeland said his greatest personal accomplishment of his football career was winning the county championship in eighth grade against 12 competing teams. “For the championship, we had a pretty rough season, but we got it together in the playoffs and won four games in a row to finish the season,” said Copeland.

Advancing to junior varsity as a freshman comes with excitement, but also a lot of pressure. As quarterback, Copeland has to know all of the plays and what each player does on each play. Copeland takes this pressure as quarterback and uses it to make him a better player on and off the field. ” I feel like I have to prove myself every game, and it motivates me to give it my all and hopefully end the game with a win,” said Copeland.

To improve as a player, Copeland watches the upperclassmen and tries to figure out how to better himself and his techniques on the field. He also has to play against older players, which has been a good experience for him.

His approach to the game proves effective as the J.V. team has a winning record thus far. Copeland has scored four touchdowns so far this season, and with his skills and technique, there should be more to come. “I think that if we keep practicing hard and keep putting in our best effort we can have a great season,” said Copeland.

“He’s just a stable force with our J.V. kids and the rest if the team, and we can rely on him tremendously… he has good leadership skills; he leads by example; he works hard at practice; he pays attention to detail, and he tries to improve every day when he’s out on the field,” said varsity coach Paul Barnes.

The other players look up to him and respect him for his serious approach to the game as well. “He’s always funny and happy, but he knows when to be serious, and when it’s time to focus on and off the field,” said sophomore Sam Moore.

According to sophomore Alex Bates, Copeland helps players “go through plays and he runs the ball really well and avoids a lot of tackles.”