The Loud Americans: Football Update-End of an Era

This Years Hopkins Royals team posted a 6-2 final record the best in the school since 2007. They played great had a ton of fun and the boys of fall are ready for the play offs.

First Down memory lane we go...
Third grade was the beginning of Jimmy's love for football. He could not wait to play it also makes the first time he slept with his cleats and helmet, he would continue that ,"tradition" everytime he got new cleats or a new helmet. It also makes the beginning of his black stripe era. That means that the kids that were over a certain weight could not advance the ball and had to wear a black stripe on their helmets so the refs would know.

4th grade the black stripe was still in place and Jimmy's enthusiasm for the game continued to grow, so much so that he would need to be talked off the ledge after each loss by the coaches, a neighbor or another friend because he was so into the game. This year he won his first of many most enthusiastic player awards!

5th/6th- This marked the international portion of Jimmy's football career. When we moved to Canada Jimmy had to skip 5th grade do to the Canadian school laws and went right into 6th grade. The Canadian football experience really changed Jimmy's football skills. He had to play against kids bigger and older then him however he had great coaches who taught him the fundamentals of football that he still uses today. In that year his team won the city championship and Jimmy was thrilled.

7th Grade was the final year of the Canadian Football league. Jimmy made an all city team and went to a super cool combine kind of thing and had a blast. His team came in second place looking a tough game in overtime!

8th Grade we were back at Hopkins and Jimmy for the first time cut weight and was able to play both ways and loved it. He was back playing with his grade school buddies his old coaches and the first thing everyone said was, wow how tall are you.

9th grade was a short year for Jimmy as he got injured for the first time with a hamstring, he hated sitting out and hated even more if you asked him about it. The team finished 3-5 and the season was a just sort of the one year where things weren't as amped up as they usually were.

Sophomore year found Jimmy on both the Varsity and Jv team. It was a bit confusing as we were to find out as the coaches are a bit unorganized and non-communicative. Jimmy played tight end as well as left defensive end, which would be the two places he would play the rest of his High School career. The team played their one and only playoff game in the bitter cold, driving snow and of course who was out there in short sleeves with a big smile on his face, Jimmy.

Junior year had Jimmy starting on Varsity playing second string tight end and second string left d-line and as you can imagine he was not happy. This was the real insight year for him as to his coaches short comings and inability to solve conflict, we will leave it at that. Jimmy had more points, better stats, was bigger and faster then the starting tight end the difference was the other kid was a Senior. I give Jimmy credit when he found out that was the reason he wasn't starting and he went to the coach and said - If you knew that your were going to start the Seniors, I still would have worked as hard as I did, no matter what, you should be more honest with your players.

Senior Year was all that he could have expected and more. The team Captain and at 6-2 220 pounds the starting Tight End and the starting D-Line was awesome for Tracy and I to watch him play. In all his years his enthusiasm, drive, commitment and love for his team never wavered, when he wasn't playing as much as he thought he should instead of complaining he would say"it's not about me it 's about the team. " He would talk before each game how they were a family and how instead of complaining about a missed kick or dropped ball he would have then help their teammate up and tell them we'll get next time, LETS GO! Feed the Family was their moto, led by Jimmy.

So back to how the Senior year ended, ranking system here is to say in the best way I can is flawed. Jimmy has been on the Varsity team since his Sophomore year, that year the team finished 1-8 ( which is way Jimmy is number18, to remind him every day how hard he needs to work). They were ranked last in their section, the dreaded 8th seed and lost the first round of the play-offs. The next year they ream finished 4-4, a 500 recorded and once again received the 8th seed and played Lakeville North the #1 seed who eventually won the state tournament. This year it happened again, with a 6-2 record we got the 8th seed, seeded behind teams with an 0-8 record, 2-6 record, maddening. So we again played Lakeville North the #1 seed and lost. Currently two teams we beat are going to play next weekend for the section Championship.
Jimmy is not happy but he stated " Well Dad now we are done with this political game of football where records, wins, and stats don"t matter and now we can go play real football, where the coaches know the players ability and push them to do better, where your record dictates where you can go and where hard work and commitment payoff"- college Football here he comes!

So to sum it up 11 years, two countries, hundreds of protein shakes, countless hours at the gym, at practice and more tears than a waterfall we now move on to the next chapter in the football and we will see where Jimmy takes us!

Senior picture on the field