BSM seniors reflect on playing high school football for the first time
Seniors Quinn Ehlen and Eric Weber played football for the first time this past season.
By senior year, it has come to be expected that students have found a path for themselves. Senior year, students usually return as veterans of their clubs and teams. In a rare turn of events, seniors Eric Weber and Quinn Ehlen decided to return to the football field this year after taking many years off.
Both formerly played football——Weber in fourth grade, and Ehlen in sixth grade——but joining BSM’s varsity football team proved to be both a challenging and rewarding experience.
Weber and Ehlen agree that picking up a new sport wasn’t easy, but they quickly began adding to the team’s success, in their roles as outside linebacker and running back, and on special teams, respectively. “It was hard at first, there was a steep learning curve, and I had a lot to learn in a short amount of time,” Weber said.
Ehlen agreed, adding that the coaches and players were both very supportive, which contributed to his success as a new player. “Eric really gave us more depth and dependability at tight end, whereas Quinn gave us a huge boost on offense when he started in place of injured Joe Marinaro,” captain Braeden Fitzgerald said.
Being on a varsity sport is very exciting, but it does come with some sacrifices. “My least favorite thing would have to be 7 a.m. practice on Saturday mornings,” said Ehlen. Weber didn’t like some of the rigorous practice techniques. “I could live without offensive line drills,” Weber said.
The two are not new to sports––both will return to the lacrosse field this spring. In addition to this, Weber spends his winters playing intramural basketball, and Ehlen spends his time on the ice rink playing hockey.
