“What makes a team more than a group of people who play the same game? What takes a football team from just good players to good people?” 

These same questions fill the thoughts of the Brandon High School student body and the Brandon community. In the past three years of Sam Williams’ leadership, the Football Team has accomplished so much in the past three years. The Boys have changed Brandon’s aspects of football. With these changes, the community can not help but wonder if there is more to it all, along with the new triumphs, new strategic plans, and rigorous training. However, their success can also be attributed to their character on and off the field. This month, we talked with Brandon Elam, Jacob Garner, and Eric Greene II. Each of these players explained how their football experiences go beyond the game. 

Before games, the boys have their pre-game rituals. For some of the guys, this includes separating themselves from the team to get mentally prepared. Garner, for example, listens to worship music to help him get in the right mindset. For Elam, pre-game looks like walking onto the field and always touching the bulldog’s pad on the goalpost three times and touching his heart three times. These boys care about the game, and their respect for the game extends to respect for others. Recently, at the game against Ocean Springs, Elam went over to one of their players, Bray Hubbard, to encourage him after their loss. Although the rest of the team celebrated victory, he went to his competitor. While this is just one example, it represents a precedent taken by the Bulldogs Football Team. No matter how the boys act on or off the field, the fact that even one of them took the initiative to give encouragement proves that for our team, it’s about so much more than just football.