BOILING SPRINGS, SC - As kids growing up, we all have dreams of being on the big stage and for a group of District Two middle school kids they got just that opportunity as they got a taste of their own Friday night lights on Wednesday.
In district two, kids that end up at Boiling Springs High School attend either Boiling Springs Middle School or Rainbow Lake Middle School and on Wednesday night the two schools competed on a field they will one day soon share as teammates. It's the first time the two schools have competed against each other on the high school field in a few years and is something that Boiling Springs High School head football coach Matt Reel said he wanted to make happen so that the middle school kids can get a taste of playing where the guys they look up to now play. It's part of a larger goal that Reel setup when he took the job as he wanted to get the youth leagues and middle schools more involved with the high school program. "I think it's important for those kids to understand we want them here as Bulldogs and get them to look forward to being Bulldogs," said Reel. "The league they play in they see a lot of these nice places where teams play, and I think in the past I think that's why we've lost players to other schools. One of the first thing I told those middle school coaches when I got here is that I want those guys around here as much as possible and I want our youth leagues here as much as possible. We want those kids to look at this place this as their future and to be excited about that." Reel said that he can remember being young like those kids and being excited about the opportunity to compete where the guys he looked up to competed. "I know when I was growing up, I wanted to be at McDowell High School running around in the endzone like I was making plays on that field," said Reel. "Once I got to middle school we got to play on that field and as an elementary school kid our championships were on that field. I remember as I grew older it was always on my mind that I couldn't wait to play on that field." He said that he believes the more the younger kids get exposed to playing in big time games there, the more they'll be ready for games like that in the future. "Letting the kids get exposure to playing in a big-time stadium like this is great experience for them because you want them to get used to playing in those big-time situations before they get up here on Friday nights," said Reel. "Some people may think I'm crazy but I believe the more times you're exposed to these bigger games and bigger crowds the more you get used to them. I'm just excited for them to get to be a part of this and hopefully getting the chance to host these kids here every year." As for the kids, the coaches of both teams said that the opportunity for their kids to play their game in this environment was a special opportunity. "This is an awesome experience and the first time since I've been coach here that we've got this opportunity," said Boiling Springs Middle School head football coach Nathan Maynor. "We're thankful for the opportunity that Boiling Springs High School gave us to have this game here. The kids have never gotten the opportunity to see the Boiling Springs painted in the endzones with the giant Bulldog head in the middle. They were hyped up about the opportunity to play this game here and we had a big pep rally today at school, they're just excited for the opportunity to play for all those fans and with all the talent on the field today I think the future is bright for Boiling Springs High School football." Rainbow Lake head football coach Jamie Allen echoed the thoughts of his counterpart saying that his kids loved the opportunity of feeling like they were part of the high school. "Just the opportunity to get to play over here where they'll all play one day as high schoolers is special for them," said Allen. "Getting to be here under the lights with all the parents in the crowd it was a really good game between future Bulldogs tonight. We got to thank Coach Reel for inviting us to have the game here as the kids love the opportunity to feel like they're a part of the high school." As far as the games went with varsity players from the current team standing on both sidelines, both games were very competitive as in the seventh-grade game Boiling Springs Middle School won 22-14 while in the eighth-grade game Rainbow Lake Middle School won 22-16 and at the end of the day the future of Boiling Springs High School football came away with a victory. Comments are closed.
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