Run.
Pass.

Touchdown.

As they speak into the microphones, seniors Leo Anguiano and Tayvin Labbe dive into the aspects of football – the ones that matter to them and to their Eagle teammates. Anguiano and Labbe sat down with ENO podcast director Will Ligon and sports writer Eli Deutsch to share their thoughts on varsity football including hard beginnings, coaching strategies and leaving positive legacies. The Eagles started the season at 0-1. Now, they sit at 2-1, and they intend to keep winning.

Hard beginnings

First, earning a spot on the varsity team isn’t easy, according to Eagle running back Anguiano.

“I’d say, like, toughness,” varsity Eagle running back Anguiano said. “When you’re playing in Texas, and you’re playing 6A football, it’s going to be a lot harder to play a 6A-football team than play a 1A team.”

Labbe said there are more obstacles to face when making the team at a bigger school than there are for a smaller school.

“Let’s say, a kid coming in freshman year, his chances of being on varsity are just zero unless he’s an absolute freak of nature, of a human,” varsity Eagle linebacker Labbe said. “If you were a kid trying to play here, and you’re on like our JV, and you went to (try out for a varsity team at) a school that’s out in the-middle-of-nowhere Texas, they would easily start.”

Being introduced to the sport at a young age sparked Labbe’s passion for football.

“I’ve been playing football since, I’m guessing, second grade,” Labbe said. “I’ve been playing for a long time. I just always fell in love with the sport. I started playing in Oklahoma. I got to play the game more and just fell in love with it at a young age. It’s just like, the amount of competition. I love it.”

Anguiano started playing football at the age of five.

“I’ve been around the game for as long as I can remember,” Anguiano said. “My dad is the one that got me into football at a young age. My dad sat down with me and he told me, if football is something you really want to play and you really want to commit to I need to know now, because, we’re going to have to pay a lot of money. I had the decision when I was younger whether or not football is something I wanted to do. I have no second thought of leaving or not playing anymore.”

In its first game, Prosper went against Westlake High School. The final score was 14-35 in favor of Westlake.

“The first and second quarter, you know, we were up, and we were beating them,” Anguiano said. “That’s just the potential we could have. The reason we lost the game is as soon as they scored, we didn’t come out in response. You know, we didn’t come out at halftime. We didn’t have the same energy we did. We still didn’t respond the same way that we needed to. I feel like the energy was down. I feel like, as a team, we really did that for the first time, we were winning, we were beating the top ranked team, and then we came out of halftime. I feel like, as a team, we didn’t have the energy.”

Coaching Strategy

Practicing for the game is just one thing, according to Labbe. He said the dedication of the coaches and team stands out the most.

“The program that’s built here and how intense we have to practice and prepare and like, the amount of knowledge that our coaches have, it’s completely different,” Labbe said.  “We’re very detail oriented and every game we play. Most likely, we’re going to be the best-coached team. That’s a great testament to our coaches. They know a lot.”

According to Anguiano, the coaches know what they’re doing when it comes to practices and game days.

“Yeah, they’re very well-knowledged,” Anguiano said. “They’ve been coaching for a long time, especially Coach Kyle, the base coach. We call him ‘Master Oogway.’ He knows a lot. He’s been in the game for longer than we’ve been alive. I’m sure he’s the longest one on the coaching staff that’s been around the game.”

Positive Legacies

Despite their first loss, the players said they still feel confident about the rest of the season.

“It’s all about what legacy we want to leave,” Anguiano said. “I feel like there’s a certain part of our culture as a team that we need to change. I feel like, potentially, as a team, we could go very, very, very far.”

Anguiano said he looks forward for the team to take a step into a better direction and that they did by earning a win against Rockwall-Heath High School Sept. 6.

“We have leaders on the team. We’re trying to be what the team needs,” Anguiano said. “And, you know, certain times with diversity, I feel like right now, we’re doing really good. We bounced back after, the Westlake game.”

The Eagles will face Allen High School Oct. 25.

“There’s certain teams in the district that are going to be a good test to see where we’re going to end up,” Labbe said. “Allen’s the next big game. I guess it’s just all going to depend on how we face adversity.”

Podcast Recorded on Sept. 12, 2024.

Music used in the podcast
Cat’s Cradle by Purrple Cat
Missing You by Purrple Cat
Moonlit Walk by Purrple Cat
Torn by Purrple Cat
Wanted by Purrple Cat