“He’s a freshman!”

The student section’s chant floods the stadium. The pressure is on. He must prove he is worthy of his spot on varsity.

Varsity freshman running back Jake Brasington retakes the field, but this time, it’s different. This isn’t middle school tackle football anymore. It’s high school football.

“The plays are faster, the people are bigger, the hits are way harder,” Brasington said. “I mean, it’s definitely different. ”

As an incoming freshman, Brasington had no thoughts of being on the varsity team. But during preseason practices, his strong work ethic and intelligence quickly caught the attention of varsity football Head Coach Herb Kunz.

“Jake’s a very quality young man. He works extremely hard. He’s a very smart player and very talented athletically as well,” Kunz said.

Originally practicing with JV, Brasington gave it his all when he heard he had a chance to move up to varsity.

“Summer workouts were every weekday. None of the coaches knew me at all,” Brasington said. “I had to show them that I was good enough.”

Brasington dominated the field at the start of the season. His athletic performance was hard to miss. It was clear he was ready to move up to varsity.

“As the season started, I was doing good in practice and making plays,” Brasington said. “ Then the first scrimmage came up, and I did well in that one and [the coaches] said, ‘You’re doing great, we want to move you up to varsity.’”

Being a freshman on varsity was an accomplishment in itself, but his key plays are what stood out most to the audience. Brasington’s touchdown at the homecoming game was a huge moment. The whole crowd cheered, “He’s a freshman!” He made a name for himself.

“After I heard all the chants and everybody screaming, it just got me hyped and I wanted to play,” Brasington said. “That might have been the highlight of the game. It just made me happy and got me in that mindset, ready to play.”

However, Brasington finds himself under new pressure. Under the spotlight, he can’t afford any mistakes. Luckily, he has his teammates and coaches to support him.

“Preparation is going to be the key. We try to be extremely prepared.” Coach Kunz said “And if you’re prepared, then you really don’t feel pressure, because you practiced everything that you’re going to see.”

Brasington describes his brother CJ as his biggest supporter. CJ knows Brasington inside and out, which helps him support his brother through mental battles.

“I think sometimes he can get into his head a little bit and he’ll get nervous. I try to help him out with that,” CJ said. “And because he’s done this before, he knows what he’s doing.”

With all this support from teammates and coaches, Braisington continues to persevere on the field and lead the team to victories. Despite being the only freshman on varsity, his dedication sets him apart from the rest.

“He has a tremendous work ethic to begin with,” Kunz said. “He has brought that work ethic with him, and it shows out there on the field.”

This story was originally published on Three Penny Press on October 21, 2024.