This year, Carl Mesker, Navid Izadjou, and Kevin Watson have focused on changing the culture of the football program they love.
​Knowing that they were close to the bottom of the league last year, these three players work to change the team’s attitude towards the football program.

“When you feel the biggest low, during that 1-9 season, you can really only go up from there, so we took that as confidence and really embraced it this year,” former captain Izadjou said.

Though all three players have maintained determined attitudes towards this season, they have each experienced low points in their football careers, giving them a perspective to pass on to the team about what it takes to build attitude change.

Senior Carl Mesker found some insight about this when he broke his collarbone during the one of the first few games his junior year on varsity. It forced him to sit out for the majority of the season.

Though it was difficult for him to cope with his inability to play, Mesker still attended every practice, and during this time he had a chance to step back and observe the team’s overall condition.

“When I wasn’t actually practicing I could see how lazy some kids were being and it would kind of upset me,” Mesker said.

Concerned about the football team’s state, Mesker became determined to improve the team’s sense of discipline and enthusiasm towards the program.

“I think the team does as well as the seniors want it to be,” said Mesker. “So last year I think a lot of the seniors were really lazy and we didn’t expect to win so didn’t really try as hard.”

A captain for four years, Mesker used his position to act as a role model for the incoming varsity players.

“I just don’t mess around as much as other kids and I tell other kids to be quiet or do push-ups and focus up more,” Mesker said.

As a captain, Mesker uses the tactic of pushing the boys even harder by holding captain’s practice, where he and his fellow captains discipline disobedient players after practice in order to make sure every team member focuses during practice hours.

Watson’s story about attitude change towards the team is a little different.

Watson did not receive much playing time early in his career as he instead observed his teammates to improve his own skills on varsity.

“After we lost our first couple games, they [last year’s seniors] just stopped caring” said Watson. “Most of them stopped caring at all about the season and that just made it a bad thing to look up to as a junior.”

But coming onto a poorly-devoted varsity team, Watson took the initiative to push himself even farther.

“I always go 100 percent. I’m less of a loud motivator like yelling at people, more of like a sets an example for others,” Watson said.

For Navid Izadjou who was captain of his teams both freshman and varsity year, stepping down as captain this year was a choice he made after receiving a concussion. This has not stopped him from giving his team the support and critiques they need.

During this first varsity year, after he was appointed as captain, he also suffered from a broken wrist, which placed him on the sidelines for most of his junior year season.

“Within those 4-5 weeks, it was really tough, because I could see the way the team was reacting and I had little control,” Izadjou said.

​By urging his teammates to stay focused throughout practice and maintain confidence during game time, Izadjou’s motivational attitude inspires next generation seniors.

“The word captain is a title, it’s an acknowledgement through your coaches and your players, but at the end of the day it’s a title, and it doesn’t define who you are or the way you carry yourself on the team,” Izadjou said.

According to Watson, in the end, it comes down to the brotherhood throughout the team.

“This is us, this is our time, this is our place, we’re not playing for the fans, we’re not playing for the coaches, we’re playing for each other,” Izadjou said.