by FHS senior Payton Botelho
The Fairfield Eagles Football team finished 3rd in district and went against Grandview in the playoffs. The Eagles lost, ending their season; however, four freshmen played on Varsity that night.
The four were #31 Jason Brackens in the positions of running back and linebacker, #52 Tate Lewis in the positions of full back and linebacker, and #62 Brayden Thornburg and #66 Henry Macke in the positions of offensive lineman and defensive linemen. Thornburg had been on Varsity before the playoffs, and the other boys joined him for the Grandview game.
“The Fairfield Eagle 2022 football season was exciting and interesting,” assistant coach Andrew Downing said. “We started out with injuries to key players, which hurt us, but we have good kids in the locker room and we have good kids in the facility. So everybody pitched in to do their part so we could be successful and win. I thought our seniors played well, I thought our young kids played well. We had freshmen play well like Brayden Thornburg who will be able to help us in the future. I’m really proud of the season as a whole and the kids that came out to play.”
The Varsity team will be losing 17 seniors, including #1 Rex Bean, #5 JaCorey Daniels, #6 Jy’ren Canady, #8 Carter Richard, #9 Jonathan Garcia, #12 Tucker Moore, #24 Caleb George, and #25 Damonte Willis in the positions of wide receiver and defensive back, #50 Luke Martinez, #5 Caden Story, #53 Julio Roque, #61 Treydon Johnson, #63 AJ Serrato, #77 Samuel Marsters in the positions of offensive lineman and defensive linemen, #22 Braiden Barrett and #28 Eli Martin in the positions of running back and linebacker, and #45 Kolby Adams in the positions of full back and defensive linemen.
“Grandview was a really intense team, but that did not stop me,” Barrett said. “Offensively, I played my best for the year. But even though I played really well, when that final whistle blew, I could not hold in the emotion. The game of football means so much to me. I was so sad because I just played my final and last game of football, forever. Everything went by so fast, all of the years, all of the pain, sweat, blood, and fun…gone in a flash.”
Barrett has played football since he was five years old.
“My advice for upcoming players is to always have something to fight for,” Barret said. “Whether it is big or small, fight for it. It doesn’t matter how big you are, how fast you are, or how strong you are. This sport is all about heart. Heart will take you farther than any genetic.”
Pictured above: Fairfield Eagle Freshmen #31 Jason Brackens, #52 Tate Lewis, #62 Brayden Thornburg and #66 Henry Macke joined the varsity team for playoffs. (Photo by Payton Botelho)
