“You’re never prepared to tell some guys who have dedicated their time and tried to make the program better that, unfortunately, you won’t be able to play your senior year,” Issac Marsh, Chapel Hill High School’s varsity football coach, reflects. “That was a tough day, that Monday morning.”
After a tough scrimmage against Ravenscroft last fall, during which the Tigers were short-handed due to injuries and an unexpectedly low student turnout, a decision had to be made. Marsh, Principal Charles Blanchard and athletic director Timothy Bennett decided to pull the plug on the varsity season.
“It was a collective decision. We were looking at numbers, and it was the best decision for the program,” Blanchard said.
And, as would be expected, a number of Tiger athletes walked away from that Monday morning meeting angry and disappointed; the underclass athletes’ only option to play football was as members of the junior varsity (JV) team.
“I was upset because we had really good seniors,” senior Crayvon Jackson, a defensive tackle and offensive guard, said. “I had a good bond with them.”
Senior Milad Aghaiepour understood why the Tigers didn’t field a team, but, like Jackson, he was disappointed at not being able to play at the varsity level.
“At first I was mad, and it didn’t feel the same, but it was what was best for the team,” the linebacker and halfback said.
The cancelled season did come with some positives: Marsh said that being able to give players more repetitions and experience in JV practices and games gave the Tiger players a lot of positive momentum for this year’s season.
And though the Tigers have gotten off to a 1-3 start, the team is seeking its first conference win against Vance County High School on Friday, September 27. A victory won’t be easy: the Vipers will roll into Culton-Peerman stadium with a 4-0 record.
This year’s Tigers aren’t intimidated by their opponents, though, despite last year’s cancelled season.
“After having only a JV team, I’ve definitely had an extra chip on my shoulder,” sophomore quarterback Caleb Kelley said. “With this being my first year on varsity, I’ve been soaking up everything and taking advantage of every opportunity. We are working hard, watching film, taking advantage of every rep and preparing ourselves to shock the conference.”
“A lot of people doubt us because of past records, but this year’s team is special,” Aghaiepour added. “It’s gone well. It feels good to be playing Fridays again, and our guys are ready for it.”
Senior defensive tackle Ian Hamilton said he felt the need to “prove we belong and that we can be a winning team on a varsity level.” Hamilton opted not to play JV as a junior but rejoined the team for his senior year.
The Tigers are trying to change the perception of football at the school and in the district. Their main goal is “to make football successful here at Chapel Hill and even at Carrboro and East,” assistant coach Patrick Roeber said.
Marsh remains optimistic about this year’s season. After a tough 30-19 loss against Bartlett Yancey High at the end of August, the Tigers were able to pull out a huge win the next week against crosstown rival Carrboro High School, defeating the Jaguars 35-34 in overtime.
“It felt great. You persevere through all the adversity. To beat Carrboro and come back in the fourth quarter, it was like a miracle—a really good story,” Jackson said.
“It finally came together against Carrboro,” Marsh said. “We were able to win, which was huge. Coming from behind, down 12 with 4 minutes to go. I looked up, and it was a great motivating factor for the players to see that the student body was still in the stands cheering, which is the type of environment that we want to create.”
And it’s that student support that the football team is counting on as it heads into Friday’s game against Vance.
“Not having football on Friday nights people realized, ‘Hey, we missed this. We need this,’” Roeber said.
Among those who missed attending football last year is senior Tiger Roar president Mathew Wolf.
“I am so glad to have Friday night football back,” he said. “It is such a fun and exciting part of high school.”
