Windham seventh- and eighth-grade youth football team off to promising start

By Matt Pascarella

While it was only the seventh and eighth grader’s second Windham Youth Football practice of the season at Windham on Monday, Aug. 11, the team is coming together and getting ready for their upcoming season which begins later this month. For the seventh and eighth graders, their regular season runs through October and has the potential for playoffs.

Windham eighth grader Luke Russell catches a pass during 
a Windham Youth Football seventh- and eighth-grade
practice at Windham High School on Monday, Aug. 11.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We’re looking good,” said Windham Youth Football seventh and eighth grade coach Lavon Mckoy. “(The team is) understanding, they’re seeing the expectations. I have a great group of other coaches with me, so we set the tone and expectations right from the start. All the players have adapted and accepted what the responsibilities are.”

Mckoy has been a coach for the program for nine years and wanted to get involved to help the kids and give back. He was fortunate to have a good high school career and played in college, so what made him get into coaching was his passion for football when he was playing as a kid and through his high school career. He says that he wanted to give back to his son and his son’s teammates and friends and help them excel in the sport.

The challenge is what keeps Mckoy coming back. His coaches and he are dedicated to helping their team succeed. They’ll start the season with a group of kids that come from all different backgrounds. For Mckoy and his coaches, what they strive for is seeing their team excel and building confidence in themselves. When you give a player that little bit of confidence and they take it not just from the football field, but they might be able to gain confidence when they’re out in the real world.

For Windham seventh grader Kody Freese, this is his fifth year playing football. He likes scoring touchdowns; he likes all the players and coaches. Freese said it doesn’t matter if you lose, because there’s always the opportunity to come back and win. His goal is to one day play varsity football. He said his team is already like a family, he’s been playing with most of the guys for a while. He’s looking forward to the season.

“Windham Youth Football is a great program from start to finish,” said Mckoy. “From the flag all the way up to eighth grade and a good feeder program into the high school to excel. We’re all out here, a group of parents, who just volunteer their time because they have a passion for the game and want to see groups of young men and young women build their confidence and get the abilities of the game to excel. I think we’re doing a great job; our numbers are not where we want them to be, but we’re going to do with what we have. Hopefully we build up players, so that when they get to the high school level, they are well-rounded individuals ... and potentially excel in college if they decide to go that route.”

It's less about wins and losses for Mckoy. His focus is more on character and confidence building. At the end of the season, he wants any one of his players to feel like they’ve accomplished something; not only physically, but seeing they have a lot to give mentally.

Lewis Walker, a Windham eighth grader, has been playing football since he was in fifth grade. He wanted to play because the teams are like family. Football has taught him that you’ve got to keep pushing, even when things get hard, you got to keep going. His goal is to make it to the National Football League. What’s fun for Walker about playing is you get to build connections with people, you get to hit, everything about it.

Windham Youth Football is always looking for volunteers; if you are interested in getting involved with the program, you can email Wyf.eagles@gmail.com. <