It’s late November and the stress of the fall sports season is nearing its end or has already come to a close. But the stress was just beginning for the freshman football team. After the season ended, the freshman football team had one more task: practice with the Varsity football team for two entire weeks. Being a freshman last year, I can easily empathize with the anxiety of the freshmen; practicing with larger, faster, and more experienced athletes is a daunting task. The freshman football team persevered, however, and were heavily influenced by their older brothers.

Heading into this long stretch of high-level football, the freshmen were both anxious eager. Rocco Peri, a member of the freshman team, confessed, “before [he] started the varsity practices, he was [scared] about the difficult of the practices because [he] just finished [his] freshman football season.” After Peri started his first week of varsity practice, he realized that his anxiety was unwarranted. However, his discomfort increased, when “the team was hit with below 32 degrees [Fahrenheit] weather.” Despite this col winter weather, Peri persisted. The most difficult part of the practices was meeting the expectations of the varsity coaches. “The drills were a lot harder than the freshman drills and the coaches pushed you to perfection.”

Peri endured these tough practices and became a better player thanks to his brothers. “What I learned from this experience is that the brotherhood at Delbarton is stronger than I thought. The constant encouragement from not only [the] coaches, but from the athletes really taught me how great the brotherhood at Delbarton really is.” The varsity players created an atmosphere in which the freshmen could succeed and rise to the increased challenges.

Peri and the other freshman players initially had troubles adjusting to practice with the upperclassmen. Over time, however, the coaches and players helped the younger players and allowed them to thrive. Peri was “humbled” by the performance of his older brothers, and even took up Coach Beach’s Strength and Conditioning program thanks to their encouragement. Peri’s experience proves that you shouldn’t be nervous about anything at Delbarton, as long as your brothers are right there beside you.