As the sun settles earlier in the day, and the air gets cooler, many people are getting excited for one main thing during this fall season. Friday Night Lights (FNL). This School year, Eureka High School is proud to uncover just one freshman on varsity, Michael Werges, 9. Werges has been working hard since third grade to achieve where he is at this moment.
Werges has had many people to look up to this fall season. Including many teammates and family members.
“My dad has definitely been a big part of my football journey. He played college football and high school football,” Werges said.
In addition to his dad, Werges has spent a lot of time gaining inspiration from some upperclassmen.
“All the seniors have been a big part of it, but Connor Flinn and Ian Ritchie are two big mentors for me,” Werges said.
Ian Ritchie, 12, can see Werges’ potential with football.
“Michael is only a freshman so he’s new, he’s still learning a lot, but it’s good to help him grow,” Ritchie said. “I’ve been next to him a lot, so it’s been good to help him learn the offense and learn how to play and just help him grow. He plays with full intensity. Even though he’s still learning the technique and everything. He puts full effort in everything. He’s a great guy. I love being around him, and all the teammates love him.”
Connor Flinn, 12, was also mentioned as a big mentor for Werges. Helping him grow more with the sport, not only as a player but a person as well. Connor Flinn got his first shot on varsity as a freshman,
“I would say it’s kind of like a full circle moment. Having that senior leadership, you know, it’s a big deal, so it’s kind of cool seeing that happen right next to you. You start to notice that he takes care of business, and he really cares about everything,” Flinn said.
Werges had previously said Flinn is a person he can look up to and not feel like he’s being criticized.
“It’s an honor to me, because you know I was in his shoes at one point, I had a mentor. So being able to return the favor when the roles are reversed it’s a big deal,” Flinn said.
From the view in the stands, seeing how all the guys can keep their heads up after the losses is unbelievable, and seeing how much faith they all have in each other goes to show how special the Eureka football community really is.
“We’re all brothers and we all like to support each other. Kirkwood and Lafayette games, obviously we ended up losing, but there’s no such thing as losing, just learning. And I think we learned valuable lessons from those losses,” Werges said. “It’s just a great environment. I’m really glad to be here and be a part of this team.”
There’s a specific way the coaches choose players that will be the best fit for the team.
“We’re just looking for the position needs, the best guy that will fill the team needs, so whoever they are, that’s who we fill in the roles with. With Michael you know, he’s just a great kid. He’s a great kid, hard worker, kind, very focused and well driven young man,” Coach Jake Sumner said.
As a coach the game is in their hands; the plays. Seeing the community from a coaches perspective;
“I think we have a great culture on our team. I think the group of senior leadership we have, junior leadership, sophomore leadership, you throw Michael into that mix, it’s just a great group. They’re very devoted to each other. They’re very unified in their efforts and how they’re willing to go above and beyond for the guy next to him. I’m really proud of our kids. I know coming off another loss here, but you know, the way that our boys have handled themselves and grown and challenged themselves is not normal to many teams that go about their losses like this,” Sumner said.
Coaching the Eureka football team for 20 years, 11 of those years he has been head coach. It’s hard to pick a favorite game from this season, when all of the games have been very eventful.
“I love every game, and I love every game because those young men in our team, you know, what they put in 365 to get these,” Sumner said. “Going on to week eight, these past eight games are a big body of work. So anytime they step on the field and go out and do something they love and they sacrifice to be a part of this, is just great. And outcomes don’t always work out the way we want, but you know, this is a journey of growing up, growing these young men up to the sport of football.”
Handling pressure on and off the field; school work, pressure from games and the nerves before games can be challenging, especially for some athletes.
“Once you get it down, and understand how to manage the work, it’s pretty light. I kind of bounce off my teammates, especially as an O lineman, you kind of have other teammates for you. So they have helped me a lot,” Werges said.
In later years Werges wanted to play football in college.
“Obvisously college football is a dream, but if I could choose, I would like to play for Tennessee,” Werges said.
