Varsity Insider: Focus shifts to football
Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School. He is a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team and helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.
The nightime dew glistens on the grass. The cadence of the band echoes throughout the stadium. A drift of fog rolls across the field. These images send immediate butterflies to my stomach, a sensation of excitement, not of nerves. To me, these pictures are signals to ready myself for battle; to employ all the skills I've learned in my weeks of preparation; to produce the adrenaline that will protect my body from crushing tackles and flattening pancakes. For me, this is high school football, and this is Friday Night Lights ...
My name is Reed Spiller and I live in Portsmouth. I am 6-foot-2, 270 pounds and I am entering my senior season at Portsmouth High School. This will be my third year as a varsity fullback/defensive end.
On Friday the Portsmouth Clippers opened the 2007 Division III football season by beating the Kennett Eagles, 18-6. It was the first of four Friday night home games our team will play at Tom Daubney Field this season.
The opportunity to strap on the pads in front of the home crowd is relief from nine months of training, recruiting, and hard work. My dad is the line coach for PHS, so as soon as our 2006 championship run ended, it was time to focus on next year. For me, that meant lifting weights and running, while still throwing the shot put for the indoor track team. In a small break between seasons, I was able to enjoy snowboarding in
While many of my teammates were depressed for weeks after the loss, I had one constant thought to brighten my mood -- with the end of lacrosse comes the beginning of football season. Beginning June 15, all my attention shifted to football, both on the college and high school fronts. That meant balancing my training program with college applications, AP Summer Work and football recruiting.
Once September arrives the college football recruiting process heats up. On Sept. 1, I officially became a senior based on NCAA rules. I will keep updates on the roller coaster that is college recruiting, as I try to earn a "spot" on a I-AA or Division III roster.
For now though, it is all about PHS Football, We have a solid team returning this year, despite the fact that we lost nearly 20 seniors from last year, including our entire offensive line. While we aren't quite as big as we were last year, our team speed is much improved. From the offensive and defensive lines to our skill positions, we are very fast. In the first few games of the year, it will be interesting to see how our young team reacts to adversity in game situations. But once we get in stride, the playoffs will be a legitimate possibility. Right now we literally have to take it week by week, keeping in mind that everything we do is motivated by the second weekend in November.
... You limp up the stairs as soreness overtakes your body. You are covered in obscene bruises and deep-red gashes. There is still sweat pouring off your forehead. But as you drive home that Friday night after a hard-fought win, you realize that the carnage of battle is worth the euphoria of victory. The celebration doesn't last long though, for in your mind you know that next week brings a new opponent, another test, and another opportunity for glory.
