By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green 7th grade football team achieved a goal that hasn’t been reached in more than 20 years. The team won the Northern Lakes League championship for 7th grade teams, and they did it without losing a game this season.
The Bobcat team defeated Springfield 40-20 on Wednesday (Oct. 12) in a game that had this season’s top two teams in the 7th grade league vying for the championship title. The last time a Bowling Green Middle School team went undefeated was in 1999.
Coach Marshall Headley is proud of his team for the effort they put in for the six-game season.
“We are a strong defensive team with a lot of good athletes. We averaged about 25 points per game and held the other teams to between 10 and 15 points,” he said during the team’s last practice before the championship game.
The boys have a great work ethic and go into the games expecting to win, not just wanting to win.
The coaches, Headley and Dave Hoehner, spent a lot of time conditioning and training the team, teaching techniques such as tackling and keeping their heads up.
“I told the boys, if I’m not correcting you, I’ve quit. It’s my job to help them get better,” Headley said.
Quite a few of the players have played together on the Junior Bobcats and other sports teams. Though some have played football together, Headley and Hoehner were able to start fresh and help determine where each player could best contribute to the team.
There are several team members with older siblings who play football or parents who are teachers, creating another tight bond and a good sense about the strategy of the game.
Beyond the X’s and O’s of the game, the players have learned respect—for one another, the coaches and even the bus drivers who they thank whenever they load in or out of the buses to and from away games.
They are one another’s biggest cheerleaders and they couldn’t be prouder for the effort they put in and for creating a legacy they hope to continue.
