I played football for Aledo High School - the program with the most state championships in Texas as of fall 2022. The school has won 11 of the last 14 years in 5A Texas high school football. Fortunately, while a student there, I had the opportunity to play for three of those state championship teams and even though I didn’t necessarily love the sport of football, I was obsessed with the holistic process of being part of a winning program. This consisted of the long days of powerlifting, track practice, and football off-season along with time spent watching film and playing 7-on-7 in the summers. Aledo football showed me what it means to be habitually more consistent than others, and how hard work and dedication toward a common goal can produce a winning outcome. I found this to be the case as it carried over to my experiences in college. I knew that if I showed up early, put in the work, stayed late, was diligent with my studies and recovery, stretched, took ice baths, ate properly, and paid attention to the details, then a difference would be made in the long run. When I did the little things right, I had the opportunity to see how they all came together to produce a product that outperformed its counterparts. To top it all off, during my senior year, a production company decided to produce a TV series called ‘Titletown Texas’ that documented what a program such as Aledo looks like throughout the season and behind the scenes. This was a nice touch to top off my football career and you can find the link to this series above. I was by no means the best player on the field. Honestly, I was far from that. But mindset and grit reinforced the mantra, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”, which earned me the starting position as a defensive back for one of the top teams in the nation.
My coaches also had an incredible impact on my life. Team sports have provided me with life skills that I have found to be a difference-maker in so many instances. This team mindset is something that I am constantly seeking in every new chapter of life because I have seen how much more effective and fulfilling it is to accomplish something as a collective group. The lessons I learned on and off the field have inspired me to one day become a coach myself, either for my own kids or at a higher level, given the potential impact that coaching can have on a generation and a community. Feel free to reach out to me about coaching advice or how it has shaped your life! I think we all need to coach and be coached throughout our lives and that this is an essential component of personal growth and development.
54,000 people pack in to see the 2013 state championship
