At University Academy, this season’s football captains have an ambitious goal to lead their team to victories while also helping their peers balance sports and academics equally.
The co-op team’s football season is already halfway over. The alliance between UA and Ewing Marion Kauffman School has played a total of five games so far, resulting in a 4-1 record.
After suffering an unfortunate loss in a very tight game against Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in the first game of the season, the Gryphons then proceeded to dominate Kipp Legacy High School, Northeast High School, Benton High School and Pembroke Hill School.
The head coach, Coach Andrew Blakemore, strives to mold his team into greatness with the help of his appointed captains: Julian Wilson and Eric West from UA, and Taylon Peavy and Caleb Barber from Kauffman.
Wilson, a senior at UA, has earned the captain title for the past three years. He said hard work, determination and the ability to play on the field have earned
him this title.
He devotes his energy to leading by example for his fellow players and making the coaches proud. Wilson suggested that captains must be vocal and inspirational leaders.
West, also a senior at UA, was shocked when he was nominated for captain this year. He said he was extremely happy with the results of his hard work and dedication to his football family.
“Honestly, when I first got told that I was captain, I was very surprised. All of my other years I feel like I was a decent leader, and I didn’t get captain, so I thought that this year was going to be the same thing,” West said.
Now, as captain, he aspires to do whatever it takes to keep his team motivated. With a booming and impactful voice, West uses his title to make certain the other captains and teammates’ voices are heard.
Another task captains have is handling conflict between players, which requires controlling stressful situations in a safe and healthy way.
“If you don’t keep composure, then you are putting on a show for the young guys, and they will think that getting angry, overreacting and being negative without learning from the loss is okay,” Wilson said.
West said the key to handling a hard situation is having the right mentality.
Both captains offered helpful advice to newcomers on the football team, especially freshmen.
“As a Gryphon and part of the co-op, we preach wins and give 100% every day,” Wilson said. “No matter how young you are coming into football, things are always possible. So you just have to live up to the opportunity, get some work in the weight room and just come ready to play.”
He also said grades should be a top priority, as good grades are required for athletes to play.
“Academically, I see people struggle a lot with keeping their grades up to par when it comes to University Academy because of our college preparatory status, but you have teammates and people around you that will try their best to allow you to play. Prioritize your grades because we need our players in every game all the way up to our district championship game,” Wilson said.
West agreed, saying that from his own experience, missing out on practices and games is tough because “you know that you could be out there helping your team.”
“When they say ‘student-athlete,’ a student-athlete is who we are,” West said. “You got to get the grades first because without the grades, you can’t be on the team.”
Wilson is very excited about the Gryphons’ future this season.
“The whole year, we have been preaching that we want a district championship no matter who we face. We understand that we may not be the biggest team, but we do know that we have the best talent,” Wilson said, “And we have the people that are willing to get aggressive for the wins, willing to play for each other for the wins.”
He said since this is his last year playing with his fellow teammates who have grown close along the way, he wants to go out with a bang.
The co-op’s next home game will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Summit Christian Academy. The captains hope to see you there. Go Gryphons!
