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Friday Night Lights Are Back: The 2026 Scots Football Captains · The Bubble Lounge (Highland Park & University Park Texas)

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_05: This episode brought to you by Kathy Ellwall, State Farm Insurance Agent.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_05: Visit her at Kathylwall.com.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome to the Bubble Lounge.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_05: I'm Martha Jackson, and football season is officially back in Highland Park.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_05: And I don't know about you, but I am so ready.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_05: There's nothing quite like a Friday night at Highlander Stadium.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_05: The lights, the band, the bells, cheer, the student section, the stands packed with families, and of course, the Scots taking the field.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_05: But every team has its own personality and every season has its own story.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_05: So today we're getting a little inside access from the guys who probably know this team better than anyone, your 2026 Highland Park football captains.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_05: We're talking about what we can expect from this year's Scots, who's making noise at practice, what really happens behind the scenes, and most importantly, why we should all be excited about the season ahead.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_05: So let's meet the captains.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_05: Guys, welcome to the show.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_05: Well, let's go around the room and introduce yourselves, so your name, number, position, then also say one word that describes this year's team.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: Go, Cooper.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: So hello, I am Cooper Alt.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: I'm number 76 and I play left guard for the Highland Park Scots.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: If I had to choose one word to describe this year's team, I would say it's dedication.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Lee Wagner.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm number five for the Highland Park Scots, and I play inside linebacker.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: If I had to pick one word to describe the Scots, I would say energetic.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Buck Randall.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_03: I play quarterback for the Scots and I'm number eight.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: And if I had to choose one word to describe the Scots, I would this year I would say gritty.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Nicholas Van der Westheizen.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: I played D-line.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: I wear number 13.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if I had to describe the Scots in one word, I would say aggressive.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_04: And my name is Dean Dulin.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_04: I'm number two for the Scots, and I'm a corner.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_04: One word to describe the Scots this year, I would say committed.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_05: Nicholas, pronounce your last name one more time because I know there's going to be a lot of people having a hard time with that one.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Van Der Westhuizen.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, that's not a that's that's imagine if we had names on the jerseys.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_05: You'd need like two or three lines.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: That would be pretty long.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_05: Hockey players make it work somehow.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_05: But so I just want to say, like, I am super excited for this season because this is my son's graduating class, and I've known a lot of you for many years.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_05: So it just feels extra special to like really know the people that'll be on the field.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm really, really pumped up about it.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_05: But I haven't seen you guys play or practice, so I don't really know what to expect.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_05: Kind of give us the scouting report and tell us, you know, who's who'd, who, who we should look out for this year.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we had a new defensive lineman join us this fall a couple weeks ago.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: His name's Charlie Roy.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: He's from Frisco Wakeland and uh or Frisco Reedy, sorry, but we're excited about him and he's gonna play a nose guard.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Graham Rogers, he played last year, but I'm really excited to see what he does this year.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's a fast, very aggressive player.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_05: All right.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_05: Got a lot to look forward to.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: One thing I would say though about you know, looking to the next team and opponent, I I wouldn't say that we focus on a team three weeks ahead or four weeks ahead.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: We really just focus on who's who's upcoming.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: So right now our our focus is just on um Louisville, you know, and so that's kind of like a a thing we we try to we try to harp on is is not looking too far ahead into the future, but focusing on where you are right now.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_05: So this schedule is interesting this year because our first game is not at Highlander Stadium like it normally is, it's actually at the star in Frisco.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_05: So I always associate that with our playoff games, and it's kind of strange.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_05: It's also on a Saturday night, right?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_05: So what why is that?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_05: Does anyone know?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's the uh it's called the Jerry Jones Classic.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_03: And so it's something that Jerry Jones and you know the Cowboys have wanted to do for years and they love doing it every year.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and they actually put out on an article, I think from the Dallas Morning News, that they were just like really excited to have Howland Park, you know, his where his grandson graduated, you know, back in his in his place playing um against a you know a big team like Louisville.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, awesome.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_05: Good to know.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you know, every season it's almost like starting a new team, you know, kind of starting over from scratch because people have moved up, people have graduated and things like that.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_05: What is different this year as opposed to last year?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: I think that the um, you know, not to uh put anything down on on the on last year's team at all, anything like that, you know, it's an incredible team, a lot of a lot of good leadership, but I would say the togetherness in the in of this team, I feel like we have a really close bond, and I feel like there's a lot of connection between the senior class and the junior class and even the sophomore class.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I think there's just a really close, like, you know, bond feeling between between everyone and that we're all on the same page.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I can already tell this group is very, very close.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, adding on to a buck set.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we only have like 37-ish seniors, so we also have to rely on the underclassmen to step up and play their role.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like that's also you know something that's gonna be big for this season, seeing them step up.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, Coach Eason says a lot that our year can be kind of different in a way we can show that less is more.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_04: We only have 35 seniors, 37, or whatever it is.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_04: And so, you know, we can show that less is more with the less seniors that we have, you know, relying on the underclassmen and just relying on who we have.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_05: A lot of time has passed since last football season, and there's been a lot of changes and transformations.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_05: I know you guys have been working super hard for your senior year and everything.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_05: Who would you say has made the biggest transformation during the offseason?
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um, for me, I would probably say Fisher Milliken.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_04: He used to play inside linebacker with Lee, and now he moved to D-line with Cooper or with sorry, with Nick.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_04: And he's put a lot of weight.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_04: He looks strong, and Nick can probably speak more to it, but I think he's looked really good in practice.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, Fisher, he was probably 170-pound linebacker, and now he's almost like a 230, so he's a way.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: He's definitely put on weight.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he was looking a little slow, but he's getting up there now.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I'm really excited to see what he does this season.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_05: He's gonna be amazing.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_05: I've known him since he was very young, and he has always been quite the athlete.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'll talk about um Liam Thomas.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_03: He's a senior inside receiver, and uh he'll be on the right side playing C.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's on the player committee, he's he's just a really hard worker.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: He's he's always been a hard worker, you know.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I feel like this year is gonna be a breakout year for him, you know, finally getting to show all of his hard work.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, he's he's he's been, you know, one of my good buddies for a long time, and I've thrown to him since I was in like third grade.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: So it's gonna be fun to have that.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I don't think there's anyone I've thrown more footballs to than him.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: So it's gonna be a fun connection.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_05: Well, he's really fast too, right?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, he gets that ball and he's gone.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, that's exciting.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_05: Well, so who really sets the tone during the practice?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_05: Who who kind of hypes up the group?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_05: You know, how how do you guys approach working with the team?
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: I think that uh the coaches start off by kind of giving us a guideline, and then by that time I feel like all the players and the leaders of each position group really take over and set the tone and say, Hey, we need to work harder this practice, we need to do more, we need to play faster, play harder, all those types of things where the coaches kind of they give us the blueprint for practice and they tell us what to do, but we we really control our effort.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can speak to that on the defensive side.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's um the coaches can only push you so far, like at some point the players, the leadership of the defense or the offense for that matter, too, has to take like responsibility and realize like if we want to be good, we gotta practice how we're gonna play, and that's the way we attack every practice.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_05: Who talks the most trash out there on the field?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_04: Um as a secondary guy, they I guess corners and safeties are expected to lot expected to talk a lot of trash because they get it.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_04: So you have to I mean if you receive it, you gotta dish it back.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_04: And I think Cotton and Max are two starting safeties.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_04: They'll they'll be talking some some smack, but our coaches don't like the the smack talk too much, so I don't know, I'll keep them under control, but I like it.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there was one play during the spring ball and Max made James Flowers fumble the ball, and I just heard them talking so much smack to each other.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_05: What about during actual games?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_05: Like I it's so loud out there that I can never hear what's going on on during lacrosse games.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_05: I feel like you can hear everything that everyone's saying, but football you really can't.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_05: What what is the craziest thing you've heard out there?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_05: Something someone said to you.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_05: You probably can't say.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like uh as offensive linemen, the defensive line usually talks a lot of trash, but our motto kind of as a team is we we're gonna play with like tradition and we're gonna play with class, is what he likes to say.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: And that, you know, if we're gonna get trash talk to, we're just gonna put our head down and beat them the next play, and we're not gonna we're gonna let our actions talk, not our words.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_05: I would say that I have witnessed that as well, and I I completely agree and I do like that approach quite a bit.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_05: Well, who is completely different off-field as opposed to on the field?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_05: Because I've seen some players that were just giant teddy bears, like in real life, but out on the field, they're super aggressive and super mean.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I would probably say Cooper over here.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_05: I thought you were gonna say that.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_05: I had a feeling.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_04: He can get pretty mean.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_05: So is there anything that goes on during practice or or during the games that that no one would believe, no one would know, like traditions or rituals, anything like that?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: So back to that question, I would say that you know, before games like last year, Coach Allen he would get the opponent, like the opposing team's mascot and dress up as it.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_05: No way, yeah.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_03: And so like when we played like some like like Wolverine or something, something like something like that, he dressed up as like Wolverine.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, it's been really funny, like watching him, you know, every every week of the season dress up as you know, a tiger or some sort of like mascot and like put on some sort of like show real quick, and it's been funny.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, that is so funny because Coach Allen, when you see him on the field, like I'm scared of him because as soon as he hits the field, it is like he's got his game face on and he looks very intimidating.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_05: Like, I don't even make eye contact with I when I see him out there.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_05: So I love hearing, you know, he's just a real guy like everybody.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_05: Which one of you makes him laugh the most?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: I think Coach Allen makes himself laugh the most.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: He's a he's a very funny guy and he has tons of jokes and he gets he gets the whole locker room laughing.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, whenever we're in a team meeting, he usually starts it off with one or two jokes, and everybody goes ballistic, even him.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: He's a he's a very funny guy.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_05: I know he's famous for those dad dad jokes.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_05: He's been on the show a couple of times and he's talked to us about that.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_05: So, what is the funniest thing that has happened so far during practice?
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: I would say uh we were watching film in the defensive room, and Coach Leitner, the defensive coordinator, goes, Who's that outside linebacker who just made that play?
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, one of the D-linemen raises his hand and said, That was me, coach, and uh it's the wrong position group.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: So that everyone everyone started laughing real hard at that.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_05: That's hilarious.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_05: Well, let's move on to being captains.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_05: It's such a big role.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_05: You're the leaders of the team and you're seniors now.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_05: And um, I always like to hear how you got the news because everyone always has an interesting story.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_05: Tell us, let's go around and tell us how you found out the news.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_04: Well, we we were all together, and it was after, so I guess we finished our captain speeches.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_04: Buck and Cooper went on the last day, and then we had practice and we voted right after their speeches.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_04: Then we had practice, and then Coach Allen called us, called us all up after practice, and he basically just announced the captains, and we brought all of last year's captains.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_04: They actually announced the captains.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_04: So all of last year's captains came back up and they announced who the captains were for next year.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_04: Coach Allen took us into his meeting room.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_04: We all called our moms, and uh, it was a special moment.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_05: What was your mom's reaction?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_04: She was super excited, super happy for me, and we did we didn't have much time to talk, but she was very happy.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: What about you, Nicholas?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's kind of the same thing, you know.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: We were all ready there.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Coach Allen brought us up, and all the I remember all the captains calling names out.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: It was Buck first, then it was Cooper, then it was Dean, then it was Lee, then it was me.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I got a little nervous, but I ended up getting it, so very happy.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you Buck?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, it was you know, same thing as them.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_03: So it was, you know, I wasn't so sure about my speech.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was like, I don't know if that was quite good enough, but um ended up being good enough.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, just like you s like Dean said about, you know, going into Coach Allen's office and calling calling our moms.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: That was a really good moment, you know, just hearing the excitement in my mom's voice, being, you know, how she how proud she was.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: That was just a great moment.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I remember uh Poe Jones coming to practice, one of the captains from last year, and he was also an inside linebacker, so we played together and um it was really special for him to let me know that I'll be the next captain.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: So it was special for me as well.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Stuart, Stuart came out there as well.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: I played next to him on the line last year, so he got to announce it for me.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: But I just remember that that that whole day I was practicing my speech and I actually forgot to turn in one of my homework assignments because I was just reciting it in my head.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: So definitely, definitely was focused on the speech.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_05: I'm glad it paid off for you.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_05: Well, what is the hardest part of being a captain?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_05: You know, you're leading your peers, a lot of times you're uh having to get your friends focused.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me about that.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: I would say the hardest part is sometimes having to get on your friends and you know, uh off the field I really try to be nice and I want to be uplifting, but sometimes you really have to tell them, you know, they need to lock in, they need to focus, they need to play harder, just all those type of things.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: It's a little bit harder to tell that to someone that, you know, you're gonna go swim with after practice.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can say that.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say uh like you want to be everyone's best friend, but in a leadership role, you can't always do that.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta like sometimes you gotta put your foot down and tell a guy like, hey, you can't be doing that, you can't like you're gonna make people upset.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: They may not like you, but that's the role you have to do.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there was at one point in the summer that I actually went up to Coach Baca at the uh performance course workouts to um, you know, approach him.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'd be like, Hey, how do I approach a friend, but you know, in a in a loving way, but to get on, you know, get on their butt about workouts and try to get them there, trying to get them to work harder because we're gonna need them for the team.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: And so that was that was that was a good encouragement time where you know he kind of told me how to approach, you know, being a leader, but at the same time not going too far.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_04: For me, one of the hardest parts is just, you know, as a captain, you're kind of the standard.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_04: So everyone looks looks up to you and you have to bring it every single day.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_04: Because if you're not bringing it, then the rest of the team won't.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_04: And so that's that's probably the hardest part.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_04: But at the end of the day, we've been chosen to be captain.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_04: So that's that's part of it, and we know that.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, let's talk about Friday night lights.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_05: Tell us what goes on in the locker room, because obviously most of us listening will not ever experience that.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm just so curious like, what's the tone, what's the atmosphere?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_05: Is it loud?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_05: Is there music?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_05: Are you somber?
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_05: Are you serious?
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_05: You're locked in.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_05: Describe it to me.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_05: Paint a picture.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I what I like to do is I like to just put my phone down, close my eyes, and just pray.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I like to uh isolate myself before the games, just stick to myself, listen to music.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's about it.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_04: Honestly, there's not a whole lot of talking going on in the locker room, except unless you're like putting turf tape on one of your friends' arms or something.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_04: There's there's really not much talking going on, and everyone's listening to their own music, and for the most part, everyone's locked in.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's really uh each person kind of decides what they want to do.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can go around talking to different people, or you can just s like Nicholas would, just you know, put on your headphones and really lock in.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_02: And it's and it's nice to have that because people prepare differently, and it's not that there's one stone way that we can, okay, you have to do this, you have to be quiet, or you you have to talk.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: So it's nice to kind of be able to have your own little time to get ready for the game.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, as far as like uh timeline wise, if Coach Allen says you need to be back at four, I'd say most people are there at 3.20.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like everyone's so excited, they have their pre-game like rituals that they want to do, and so everyone gets there early and gets ready for the game.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, you know, like they said, it's it's really just like a lot of quiet, a lot, a lot of people just headphones in, dialing in, trying to focus on their assignments.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of times we'll get together like the quarterbacks and we'll get on the whiteboard.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: There's a whiteboard in the locker room, and like just to refresh our mind on what we did the past week in practice, like we'll kind of go through some install, go through some some checks and whatever the defense we think the defense is gonna do.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, just a couple things to like jog your memory before you go out there.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_05: All right.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_05: Well, so we know what goes on in the locker room now, and then I'm picturing at Highlander Stadium, you're coming down the line, the drumline is bringing you in, and you guys look pretty serious and intense.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_05: Then you hit the field.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_05: When do you really come to life?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_05: Like describe that moment when you're like, it's on.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like right as you walk out from the indoor and you hear everyone playing and you see all the fans and all the little kids giving you high fives, I feel like that brings up the adrenaline, making you want to show out for your community and your friends.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really special moment.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_05: That's almost my favorite part of the game.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_05: I love that energy.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_03: I would say, like, really the just the first hit or the first drive.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: Because to me, like the beginning, you know, walking from this from the indoor to the stadium can sometimes just be like you feel the hype, you feel it, but there's still that little nervous like in your in the back of your mind, and that little in like the butterflies.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_03: But I would say when you like, you know, that first pass completed, that first hit, that first, you know, um run, anything where like, you know, in the first part of the game, I'd say that's when you really start to realize, like, all right, it's go time.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_05: So do you guys hear the fans in the stands?
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_05: And does their their volume make a difference in the way you play?
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I think that the fans are actually very important in that uh every single time that uh you know we're out on the field or the uh defense is up and you can just hear everybody cheering, it it really does make a difference.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just so awesome to know that we have a bunch of people backing us and supporting us.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean I I would agree with that for sure.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: So like I would say that, you know, going down and going into score, I would say that you know the opposing band decides to play, you know, when you're in the red zone, if you're if you're on their side, that's something that can either be someone's like, you know, makes them nervous or it gets them really amped up.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: For me, it definitely amps me up, gets me hyped, you know, hearing the hearing the the loudness of the band or or just like the fans.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: That's why it's so important to have everyone there, especially late in the game.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like when um, you know, a game's close, when it's tied up or anything like that, third or fourth quarter.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's really important to just that you know that everyone kind of stays and and and cheers you on.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you need that energy, not just at the first half, but what you're saying is the second half is equally as important because sometimes you're running out of steam at that point, right?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_05: So it would really benefit you to have those loud people in the stands during the second half, right?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's it's just like because sometimes, you know, if if it's you know, we might be up at half, and so people kind of get a tendency, all right, they're they're up, they're winning, let's just go ahead and leave.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: And so sometimes that can kind of suck the energy out of the game.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_03: Like I would say last year we were up against um like last year first game of the season is a great example.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: We were up, what were we up at halftime?
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um 35-13 at halftime, going into half.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_03: So everyone was like, okay, they're they're gonna win.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: And so we come back and then like half the stands are gone.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: And we ended up losing that game.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that a big part of that is because of the the lack of uh, you know, people being there and and and people cheering us on.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I I felt like that that was the case.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_05: And I feel like this year, it's really important to encourage people to come to the way games because there's only four home games this year.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_05: And so I think it's really important that the community gets in their car and drives up to these games and just helps support you because you're telling us that it's very important to have that energy and and the crowd, you know, you really play off of that.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, let's talk about the student section.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_05: That's like one of my favorite areas to visit during the games.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_05: You got the guys in the overalls, and of course, they do different themes, different different times of the year.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_05: Is there anyone in your class that we need to be on the lookout for?
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_05: Like that's gonna be the rowdiest fan.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm excited to see Core Anderson, you know, seven star.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: He's gonna go out there and he's gonna kick it, man.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: He's gonna be the loudest man out there.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: He's tight.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: He told me he's coming to all the away games, every single game.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited to see him there in his overalls.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, I don't think I know him, so I'll have to look for him.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: He's also a star pitcher for the baseball team.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: He's number seven, so you'll be able you'll be able to see him next season pitching.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_05: I will definitely look for him.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_05: So, what is one thing that you wish fans understood about what goes into Friday night lights?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_04: I kind of wish they'd understand all the preparation that goes into it.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_04: Like we wake up, 7 a.m., we're at a meeting, going over the scouting report, and then we have film the rest of the week in the mornings, and we watch film and practice, and we we know our opponents really, really well.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_04: And there's a lot that goes into the game plan.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't know, maybe the fans don't always realize that and see that.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_04: And especially like for me, when I'm watching an NFL game, I'm not really thinking about their game plan or the preparation that goes into it.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_04: But I mean, there's so much time and effort that goes into preparing for a game.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_04: And yeah.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's good to know because I think most of us just go, you know, as a spectator, kind of for the entertainment value.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_05: And there's so many behind the scenes things that actually go on to making it what it is, right?
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_05: So what are you most excited for people to see this year?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_05: Is it the offense, defense?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_05: Um, what do you what are you excited for everyone to see?
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: I think that I'm excited for everybody to see our run game this year.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think that I love running the ball.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: We got great running backs, we got a great offensive line.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to see them, you know.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: There's no obviously you love the big touchdown pass, but there's nothing better than, you know, guy taking the ball at the 25 yard line and running all the way to the uh to get the touchdown.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you got a lot of fast players on there.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_05: I'll tell you that.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_05: Well, tell let's talk about some of the matchups this year.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I feel like We've lost a couple of our rivals, or you know, the the big rival games because Jesuit has moved up to 6A, and you know, it's kind of some new teams on here that I'm not familiar with.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_04: Well, first of all, Jesuit's scared of us.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: That's why they're not playing us.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_05: Ah.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they didn't want to schedule us back.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's why we're not playing them.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_03: Because normally we'd play them pre-district because they've always been 6A.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: We we don't play them anyway, but like they we always play in pre-district.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: And this year they decided to not schedule us back because they've never beat us.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, good to know.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_05: Well, so who is going to be the new big game?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I would say our next closest thing to a rival in that time period would be, you know, Heath.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, just because we've played them the last two years and we beat them, then we lost to them.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_03: And so now we're going back to their, you know, their stadium to go hopefully beat them.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say another team is Tyler last year where we went on the road and uh we ended up getting the victory, but it was a shootout the whole night.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: So this time they're gonna come to Hollander and it's gonna be exciting.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna show 'em.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_05: Well, we got a lot to look forward to.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, guys, let's do something fun.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_05: Let's do rapid fire.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna ask you guys a question and just like don't give it much thought, just answer as quick as you can.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_05: Who's the most competitive?
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_05: Who's the biggest trash talker?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to become a coach.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to argue with a ref.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Max.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_05: Max Best Dress.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_04: Dean.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_05: Worst dress.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_05: Biggest eater.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_04: Cooper eater.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_05: They brought cookies, by the way.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to be late.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: Buck.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_03: Random.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: Random time.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_05: Now, is that an everyday thing?
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_05: It wasn't just a tip.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's not.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: He said it's not.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_05: You can't really be the quarterback and be late, Buck.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely, uh, most likely to know the entire game plan.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: Buck, buck, buck.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to forget something important.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Nicholas.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to make everyone laugh during a serious moment.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_02: Cooper.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_05: I knew that one.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to become famous.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Buck.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: Buck.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: Buck.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: Buck.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_05: Most likely to still be talking about Highland Park football is 20-year reunion.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_05: Buck.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_05: Who does the best coach Allen impression?
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_04: Buck.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_04: Dean Williams.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_04: Luke Cecil.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_04: Luke Cecil.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_04: Luke Cecil is.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, darn.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_05: I was hoping it was one of you because I want to see it.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_05: Like, what makes it so good?
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_05: So at some point in time, you'll be playing your last football game as a Highland Park Scott.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_05: We don't know when that game will be yet, but what do you hope you'll look back and say about the season?
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: I hope we look back and we say we gave it our all, and that there was nothing else that we could have done to prepare us, and that every second that we had to watch film and every rep and practice, we just went as hard as we could.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll have no regret when we look back at it.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_04: I would say a similar thing.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_04: I remember after we lost to Lone Star last year, all the underclassmen went into the defensive meeting room, and some of the leaders from the team from last year who were juniors talked to them.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I remember what I talked about is saying that I remember Ray Lewis when he finished football, he said that someone asked him in an interview, Do you wish you were still playing football?
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_04: Do you miss it?
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_04: Whatever.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_04: And he said, No, because I gave him my all.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_04: And he has nothing left to give to the game.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_04: And so I want to say the same thing when I'm done playing football is that I gave him my all and I have nothing less, nothing left to give to the game.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, giving it your all, but also I feel like the relationships, I want to stay in touch with all the brothers that I've I've I've built the relationships on this team.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't want to just quit, be done with football, and then just not stay in touch with all these fellows.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like relationships is one of the main things I'm focusing on.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'd say no regrets.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to look back and be like, I could have, you know, studied my playbook a little bit more.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: I could have done a little bit more film or could have worked a little bit harder.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: I want to be satisfied that I give my all.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: I hope to say that, you know, we fought through the adversity, you know, with all the there's a lot of talk out there about, you know, who we have to go through in the playoffs to win a state championship.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm hoping that, you know, we can we can have that, you know, those wins and and and being able to say that we we did it and we went through that.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_05: Very nice.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_05: Well, you guys have a big fundraiser coming up.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_05: You know, every sports team does something to to help raise money.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_05: And you guys have the annual Kaniac Supper coming up.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_05: What can you tell us about it?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's um our game against Naiman Forest on September 25th, held before the game at 4 30.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_05: All right.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_05: Well, for somebody that's never been, can you tell us what we can expect by coming?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_04: I remember when I was a little kid going to the canec supper.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_04: I had a great time.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_04: It's actually the first time I tried cane sauce.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, so that's a fun memory because now I love cane sauce.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_04: So you basically go to the cafeteria and they have a bunch of canes lined up in the cafeteria lines.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_04: And so you go get your free canes, hang out with hang out with everyone, and it's a lot of fun.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, got to plug the new cafeteria.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_05: Have you guys seen it yet?
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we got a sneak peek when we went for our registration.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_04: It looks really nice.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_05: I'm getting one soon.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, they have a brand new cafeteria.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_05: So if nothing else, come and check that out and support the football team.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_05: I will include a link in the show notes for you all to buy tickets to that because it really is fun.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_05: And, you know, you can't beat having Kane's chicken.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_05: Well, guys, I know that you've made a lot of sacrifices over the years being involved with sports and especially with football, but it's also parents make some sacrifices along the way.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_05: So I just wanted to see if you had anything that you wanted to say to your parents.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_04: I just want to shout out my mom, Katie and Dustin Doolin, my mom and dad.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_04: They're the best.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_04: They sacrificed a lot for me, rides to practice, football practice, and whatever that is.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, you know, one thing that I remember that I'm super thankful is they make breakfast for me before football practice at six in the morning.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_04: They wake up, get their morning coffee, make me breakfast before powerlifting at five in the morning.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_04: They'll be up there.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know, handing me a protein shake, wave me goodbye when I'm leaving.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_04: Like they're always up for me.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_04: So I really appreciate that.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'd love to thank my parents as well.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: They've always supported me everywhere in football.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: I've been injured.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_02: They've always still come to all the games, you know, really just support me through that.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, one thing that my dad has done in sixth grade, when he used to drive me to my football games, he would play Metallica and he would tell me that whenever I go against the opponent, I have to crush their skull and break their face.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: And that's how he got me fired up for the game.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: I want to give a shout out to my mom and dad, Lee Wagner and Kelly Wagner, for all the uh work behind the scenes that doesn't always get recognized, all the captain mom responsibilities, and uh as well as my granddad.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: He lives an hour away and I can't remember a time he's missed a game.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to give a shout out to uh my mom and my dad.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Johan van der West Eisen and Christel.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: Christel van der West Eisen, you know, they've sacrificed a lot, you know, moving from South Africa, big, they've sacrificed a lot for me.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: When it comes to football, you know, I'm just so thankful for them.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the captains, obviously, my mom's been doing a lot for that.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: And um my dad, just whether it's dropping me off at the morning for football or even just hyping me up for the games, I'm just so thankful for all of them.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'd like to thank my mom and dad, Drew and Carrie Randall.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I just really want to thank them for all the all the sacrifices they made um in the early stages of of me developing as a player and and and learning to love the game.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um all the all the you know lessons and rides out to the you know farther places that you know my dad had to leave at work early for or something like that, or you know, my mom making me meals early in the morning before powerlifting.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um just they they've sacrificed so much and also just the way they've you know taught me how to approach football and and how to you know um not make it the centerpiece in your of your life, not make it the your identity.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and yeah, just just to keep the uh mental side of things together.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_05: Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for taking the time to joining us today.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_05: This has been so nice to get just kind of a peek behind the scenes and really get to know you all.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_05: And I am so excited for that first game, and I can't wait to see you guys out there.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_05: Go Scots! That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_05: I'm Martha Jackson, and I'll see you next time.