Ready… set… hut! The ball is snapped, the quarterback catches the ball and drops back; he scans the field. The receiver cuts across, losing the safety, the quarterback brings the ball back and then launches it.

The ball spins a perfect spiral, traveling towards the receivers hands. The ball is caught by the receiver who runs with all his might towards the touchdown. He crosses the line, the crowd jumps up and cheers.

The Football program has players who played for the South West Austin Dawgs, a Pop Warner football team. Pop Warner is a tackle football league for players ages 5 to 15. This season will test whether having players who have played together since elementary school makes a team stronger.

“I talked the Titans into changing to the Bulldogs,” Football Coach Jeff Ables said. “I think that change will prove to be beneficial.”

Ables worked with the South West Austin Titans to change their name to the Bulldogs to make it known that students who were zoned for this team are zoned for Bowie. Making the mascots the same makes young players from SWA Dawgs look up to the Bowie Bulldogs.

“I think the experience of playing has helped them,” Ables said. “Learning our system at a young age has helped for sure.”

In football, experience can be one of the most important parts of the game. Experience starts at a young age. This prediction and anticipation are part of the muscle memory ingrained from experience. The more practices and games played gives a player experience that helps them predict anticipate the opponents players and plays.

“I think when you grow up playing together in Pop Warner, junior high and then high school it can definitely create a strong bond with those players,” Ables said. “This bond is what makes a team strong, they can trust each other.”

Trust is another important aspect of football. Trust is the result of building a strong bond. Without trust the team can’t work. The quarterback trusts his center to give him the ball. The quarterback trusts his offensive line to protect him from the defense. The running backs, tight ends, and receivers trust the quarterback to get the ball to them in the right place and at the right time. Football teams are built on trust, each player trusts each other to do their job to the best of their abilities according to coaches.

“I hope the parents see this as a great experience that helps teach their kids about the game of football and life lessons,” Ables said. “Football is more than just a game, it can teach players important things they can use in life.”

Playing football can teach players life lessons like teamwork, discipline through putting in the hard work required, leadership through leading a team and working with others, accountability through playing your part and overcoming obstacles like being benched and getting injured. Most of all, these players are taught to get back up when they are knocked down, and not letting what knocked them down keep them down.

“I feel like I have closer relationships with people from Gorzycki than my relationships with people I just met a few weeks ago,” freshman football player Gabriel Musat said. “I know our team bond will continue to grow as the season goes on and as we play more seasons together.”

Coming into high school, players have experience playing the game. They have bonds built with others from middle school. These bonds are strong on and off the field. For the ten players who played on SWA Dawgs together, they have built a bond that has lasted for a large part of their lives. These players have played with each other so long they know what the others are trying to do.

“It has been really fun bonding with other people that I didn’t know before coming to Bowie,” Freshman football player Grason Foradory said. “You get to know them even better, meeting people from other schools.”

Playing with other freshmen who came from different middle schools has allowed these players learn more about the game. Each player brings a unique part to the team. For the players who played for SWA Dawgs, they too have created new bonds this year playing with others they have never played with.

“The brotherhood it really builds a bond between you and the other people,” Foradory said. “I feel it when I am with the other players on and off the field.”

The team looks towards to the second half of their season filled with growing together, overcoming challenges together and winning.    

“I want to win every game for the rest of the season.” Foradory said. “I like hitting, I like scoring touchdowns and I like playing the game I love.”