By Trevor Birdzell

Football is a game in which two opposing teams of 11 players each defend goals at opposite ends of a field. You score these points by simply running the ball past the other team’s goal line.

North Star’s football team has worked hard throughout the summer and fall to accomplish this goal at every game.

This past summer was a very intense time for workouts. Monday through Thursday, football players had grueling workouts that started at 7 a.m. and ended when…well, when the coaches decided that workouts were over. They also participated in 7-on-7 scrimmages versus Papillion LaVista, Omaha Westside and Crete after their workouts on Mondays.

Players attended the North Star football camp at the beginning of summer and also traveled to Marysville, MO to Northwest Missouri State for team camp. This gave sophomores, juniors, and seniors a chance to prove what they could do before tryouts started. They went up against some of the best teams in Missouri and Kansas. When they scrimmaged other teams, they were able to test their abilities and see their strengths and weaknesses.

This season’s team is very young. The Gators have lost 13 prominent players since last year’s season. The 2011 seniors dominated the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Now, there are younger players getting experience at the varsity level and making a name for themselves.

Sophomore Brook Bolles is the starting quarterback. He follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Brady Bolles, who graduated from North Star in May. Bolles knows that he has to prove himself to keep the starting spot.

Most of the offense and defense are brand new to the varsity level this season. They realize that they have a lot to live up to compared to last year’s team.

As many know, there is a certain player who has gotten much attention from his fellow classmates, players, and the media.

Michael Minter Jr. (11) came to North Star this season after playing in North Carolina for the past two years. He is a running back and also plays cornerback. At his previous school, he was named All-State running back. He is also the son of Mike Minter Sr., who played football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1990s, and was a franchise player for the Carolina Panthers following his college career.

There are also a new array of young coaches joining the team this year. Coach Russ Plager returned as the offensive coordinator after a year of being a grad assistant at Texas Christian University (TCU). Coach Seth White has also joined the staff as a defensive backs and receivers coach after being a defensive backs coach at Wayne State. DJ Battiato and Mateo Molifua are also volunteer coaches for the freshman team. They played for North Star and graduated in 2009.

Team…Excellence…Commitment. During each game week, the varsity players have a word of the week. They get together with the coaches before practice and talk about how the word affects them in football and their everyday lives. “If you don’t strive for excellence, then you won’t be anywhere close to where you want to be,” said junior Kyle Crowder (11) when asked about the word excellence. The word of the week affects player in a different way, and they share how the word can help them. Getting good grades in the classroom, and knowing your assignments on the field are ways that Maurice Moore (11) stays committed to the football team this fall. These words make a difference for the North Star varsity football team.

The football season is in full swing, and the Gators are focusing on improving each and every day. Hopefully, all the work they have put in will make a difference both on and off the field.