In the past, Westminster maintained separate football teams for seventh and eighth graders that operated independently. Due to declining interest and injuries from other sports in the seventh grade, the coaches decided last spring that the twenty 7th graders players who had signed up would be unable to have a season without more players. To address this challenge, Westminster combined the Middle School football teams for the first time, creating a unified team.
The combined team joined a new league to compete against other schools with similar combined programs this season. This new football league introduced a significant change to adapt to the new structure: a fifth quarter. The fifth quarter doesn’t contribute to the score but gives seventh graders an in-game experience.
Some seventh graders said they felt disheartened because they could no longer play during actual games, but team members agreed that the positives outweighed the negatives. Regardless of the limitations of the fifth quarter, the seventh graders eagerly went on to the field during each game. Seventh grader A.J. Palmer appreciated being able to participate. “I like it because if you’re not getting in the recorded game, you’re not gonna play at all if you’re not in the 5th quarter,” he said. “But, yeah, it’s kinda a little bit annoying that some players aren’t getting in as much, but I just try to work harder to get there.”
The players noted that the seventh and eighth graders still needed separation due to their differences in experience and strength between the seventh and eighth grades. They do not usually practice together, although they stay together on the same field.
The players interacted very well and avoided disrupting each other in practice. 8th grader JR Mayo said he was unaffected and did not care about the seventh-graders playing. “As long as they don’t get in the way, I don’t mind.”
8th grader Wheeler Freeman values his friendships with the seventh-grade players. “Yeah. I’m friends with David Hill, and then there are other people I knew outside of this who I’m friends with, but it’s just another chance to see them because I don’t see them often during school because it’s separated between grades.”
8th grader Matthew Jancik supported the seventh-graders getting in-game time. “It’s good because there are more people to cheer you on,” he said. “And during the 5th quarter, when the seventh graders play, I just want to cheer them on. It’s also fun because you can cheer on the seventh graders.”
According to 7th grader Sanders Fogle, the kids new to Westminster have been doing well and making friends through the team. “We have one [new student] who’s the QB. He’s been making many friends, and I think he’s doing well,” he said. “And then we have [another new student who is] a running back. And I think he likes meeting people before school starts, like during practices.”
Although the team saw significant progress in bridging the gap between younger and older players, the seventh and eighth graders still had separate locker rooms. Some players believed the separated locker rooms would prevent needless arguing, and some believed chaos would start in a combined locker room. However, head football coach Chad Laney explained that they conveniently had two locker rooms already, so separation proved the best option.
Combining the seventh and eighth-grade teams into one Middle School football team positively impacted both grades. New seventh-grade students joined a team, gaining new experience playing at an eighth-grade level. The seventh grader’s presence provided more support during the games. The team bonded and worked together to end the season with an even record, with three wins and three losses, making a lasting imprint as the first Middle School football team.