Change Is Inevitable

I've talked to multiple people and most of them say the year has gone by sooooo slowwwwwwwww. Personally, I think this year has been one of the fastest. It is crazy to say that we have less than one month left. Over my freshman year a lot has happened, which causes change.
At the beginning of the year all of my focus was on football and... Preston. I met Preston and we started dating mid August. Football games also started mid August so all of my time was taken up. If I wasn't at football practice or a game I was with Preston or watching him play, and I was totally fine with that. This obviously changed some friendships and made new ones. Unfortunately I stopped talking to some of my friends because I was so hung up on other things, but everything happens for a reason, right?

Preston and I at one of his games at the beginning of the year

Once football ended I had a time chunk before lacrosse. This left me time for homework and overthinking. I made problems with people that weren't even there in the first place. I've changed now by not thinking of billions of scenarios that will most likely never happen. I've also learned to express how I feel and talk about it, it's a lot easier than sending mixed signals and having everyone become confused.
Then lacrosse started. This took up, and still takes up a TON of my time. Throughout the season I've learned to be open minded and talk to new people. From this I've met some of the most amazing friends that I know will be apart of my life for a while. I've also improved and have had the chance to play at a higher level, which I am very thankful for. From this I've learned that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
While I had a lot of stuff going on outside of school, it was always and still is a big priority. I've learned that studying actually helps your GPA and creating relationships with teachers makes school more enjoyable. I've changed my ways of thinking and I am more appreciate of the things I am learning. I know now that I am very lucky for my education and most kids don't get one.
Finally, my personality. I feel like I'm still a happy person, but unfortunately my temper has gotten very short. I've also become a lot more emotional, probably because of Preston. I'm a lot more sensitive, but don't worry I haven't lost my annoying sarcastic side.
Me. Morgan. I'm still the same person. I still like eating until I feel like I'm going to throw up, playing night games during summer, staying up late for no reason at all, playing lacrosse and football, and hanging out with friends. But I have changed. I've changed, some good some bad. Most importantly, I'm happy with the person I am and excited to see what change is to come.

My grandpa and I yesterday having fun in the rain

As you can see I look the same. I've changed on the inside, not the outside ;)

It All Starts With Someone

When I was little I always watched football with my family. It would be our Sunday routine. We would go to the store and stock up on junk food, put our jerseys on, and watch the game. I always admired the guys that played on the big screen. I looked up to them, not only as athletes, but as people. I always wanted to play football and I strived to be as good as them. Whenever I went to practice I would think about how hard they hit and I always thought I could do the same. You're probably thinking, where are you going with this?
A couple weeks ago I had a girl approach me who wanted to interview me for a school project. I gladly said yes. She wanted to know everything about football. She told me she was inspired by me and that she was thinking of playing.
Also, about a month ago my boyfriend's little sister told me she was so excited because her parents finally said she was allowed to play football.
It's crazy to my knowing that I'm the reason some girls want to play the sport. I'm the guy on the big screen for them.
During the summer I'm excited because I will be able to help coach my boyfriend's little sister, Ella. She will be playing on my little brother's team, who is 44-0. It's nice because my dad coaches the line for their team and that's the position she will be playing and coincidentally the position that I play. I'm so excited to see her progression throughout the year and hopefully she has as much of a blast as I do when I play.
Another exciting thing this summer is GOAT Camp, where I also have the opportunity to coach. GOAT Camp stands for greatest of all time, it is in memory of Aaron Alford (former athletic director that passed away). This is a camp where over 150 kids come from the ages of 8-14 to learn and play the game of football. This past summer there was one girl in the midst of all the boys. She was confident and it was awesome to watch her. It's an easy and fun camp for girls to get the feel of playing with the boys without any contact. I'm encouraging more girls to go and hopefully I get to have the privilege of coaching some of them.

Coaches and high school players at the Goat Camp this past summer

Seeing these girls looking up to me has inspired me to do better. Knowing that I'm a role model to even one person is mind blowing to me. You never know these girls might start varsity some day, more girls might start playing, a girls league may form. It all starts with someone. One motivational person can give someone the last push to do what they've always wanted.

Retirement and Trades

It has been an extremely sad week in the football world. Many teams have been gaining amazing players, while the Niners have lost what seems to be their entire team. To start off, the Niners did not re-sign Frank Gore. The Indianapolis Colts saw that as a great opportunity to snatch him up. He will probably be their starting running back which will definitely be a threat to many teams. Gore was one of the core offensive players, the team could always count on him to gain a couple yards, convert third downs, and score touchdowns. He is an amazing football player and it was really sad to see him go.
One of my all-time favorite football players will also not be playing for the Niners this year, or any team to be exact. Patrick Willis, a six time All Pro and seven time Pro Bowl linebacker. One of the greatest linebackers ever to play in the NFL, in my opinion. He was one of the reasons I wanted to play football so badly. I grew up watching him and my entire family would root for him every Sunday. He has a big heart and love for football. At the age of thirty he decided it was time to retire from the NFL. Football, while it is very fun, it is extremely hard on the body. The biggest concern of his was getting any sort of head injuries. Many players have brain damage from the sport and he knew he did not want to risk it. I respect his decision. His legend will live on for a long time. He will definitely be missed.

Patrick Willis announcing his retirement
photo from: http://www.mercurynews.com

Chris Borland also will be leaving the Niners and the NFL as a whole. At the young age of twenty-four Chris Borland decided he didn't want to play football anymore. This ties back to the ongoing injuries many have to endure while playing the sport. This past season was his first with the Niners. He was one of the main defensive players and was Willis's "fill in" when he had his toe injury. Borland surprised many with his hard hits and impressive field awareness. You could count on him to fill any hole and cover any and every part of the field. His retirement was unexpected, but he left with a good year behind him.
Last and finally not least, the Niners lost their head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was having arguments with the franchise and transferred to be the head coach at Michigan. While many though Harbaugh was crazy, I really enjoyed him. He had a winning record and loved the guys. This year will not be the same without him and the team will definitely have to adjust to the new coaching of Jim Tomsula.
Many changes were made, but hopefully there will be improvement made. I'm looking forward to see how next year goes. Leave a comment and tell me who you think will win next year's Superbowl!

Football, Lacrosse, and More Lacrosse

So many things have happened in these past couple of days it's crazy. First off, the PATRIOTS won the Super Bowl which I am thrilled about. It definitely shut all of the annoying and obnoxious Seahawks fans up. It was also the perfect time to give all of my friends a hard time and not feel bad about it, at all.
Besides the Super Bowl I have had quite a bit of lacrosse happening. My friend Brianna and I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to try out for an invite-only comp team. We were psyched because the e-mail we received said that if we made the team we would have the opportunity of going to three nationally ranked tournaments and one of them to qualify for the U-15 National Lacrosse Tournament. We ended up meeting at a store so we could carpool down to Salt Lake together. We had Subway in the car and Brianna turned on her pump up music (Jonas Brothers) the entire way down.
We finally got to the field where the tryouts were supposed to be held and we kind of got a little confused..
We got out of the car and walked to the area and there were only THREE others girls there. Like seriously? We realized this whole team thing was basically a joke and wasn't going to be nearly as good as the put it out to be. The tryout only lasted 30 minutes when it was supposed to last 2 hours. Throughout that 30 minutes Brianna and I were laughing and messing around because it was such a joke.

Brianna and I right after we left the wonderful tryouts

We left right when that ended so we could get to our high school practice on time, which we did. It was a successful practice and we got the play we've been learning down. Yesterday we also had a practice on our high school field under the lights and it was freeeeezing! We were all bundled up in our sweats and sweatshirts, but it was super fun. We had some sprinting practice which always feels great, and we did more of our play work. The team is getting closer and closer and it's nice getting to the know upperclassmen more.
We have a lot of work to do to get ready for our first tournament in Vegas but I'm super duper excited for it.
Oh! Also, there is a track meeting today after school. Today we will see if I'll actually be able to run and throw, hopefully my schedule works with it. I'm getting stupid butterflies thinking about it, but I always get nervous about sports and doing something new, that's good, I guess. The only thing I am actually anxious about is the people on the team. I've had some dumb problems with a couple of the girls and I feel like they will dislike me even more if I do their sport. I'm trying to get that out of my head because if I want to do it I'll do it for me. I'm not going to let annoying girls stop me from doing a sport.

New Year, New Me?

So basically 2014 flew by and now it's magically 2015. And basically I changed over night. I'm an entirely different person. I don't even think my name is Morgan anymore..
Just kidding! I honestly hate when people say "new year, new me" because no one can change at the snap of a finger. But, I do think people can change over the course of a year. But this is besides the point.
This new year, 2015, I am getting the chance to play on the Park City lacrosse team. I haven't mentioned this before but I have played lacrosse for a couple years and I love it. I realize this is a football blog, but it's also my blog and lacrosse is a big part of my life.
Starting tomorrow, January 8, we have our first official practice. I have mixed emotions. It's always rough starting a new season with new people and different coaches. But I've learned from football that the key is to have a positive mind set and go with the flow. So that is exactly what I am going to do. Also, the good thing about lacrosse is all my girl friends play it. With football it's a lot of fun being with the boys, but it is also very intimidating. Being with the girls is more relaxing (but don't get me wrong some of the girls are very intimidating) and it's nice being able to talk to them if I'm having problems. We'll see how it goes tomorrow and I'll update you guys after !

My friends and I after we won our first playoff game! (last year)

I am also thinking about doing track in the spring on top of lacrosse. It sounds like a lot, and it will be, but I've always wanted to do it and what better time than now? If I do follow through with this little idea of mine I would have track from 3-5 and lacrosse from 5:45-7:45 every day. The reason why I would even think about putting myself through this hell is because I need to work and train on running and what better way than track. I would probably end up running the 100, 200, and throw shot-put (football would help with that). My dad threw in high school and held the state record in California so I have a lot to live up to..
It'll be interesting to see what I decide to do, and all that I hope for is that I am happy doing it. Sports have always been a HUGE part of my life and I hope to incorporate in more throughout the years. I want this year to be the year I have drastic improvement in everything sports, I know it's going to take a lot but I'm willing to put in a lot of time and effort to make this year the best one yet.
Stayed tuned to see what ends up happening!
Peace n' blessins

Favorite Team Failing to Impress

Oh lord, it has definitely been a crazy last couple of weeks. The week before winter break was hectic with loads of assignments and tests that had to be completed. All I honestly wanted to do was sleep the ENTIRE break. And that's what ended up happening...
But, to be honest the last thing on my mind this break was sports. Let me tell you why..
As you all probably know by now high school football season has ended, which leaves me to watch college and NFL football. Also, as many of you know, my favorite team to have is the San Francisco 49ers. I always love watching them, especially when it gets to playoffs, but that's where the not so good part comes in. They didn't make it.
Last season they did pretty well and easily made it to the playoffs. This year on the other hand they honestly sucked. It seemed like almost all of their starters were injured and on top of all the craziness their coach Jim Harbaugh was being named the new head coach of Michigan. Like honestly what the hell.
Since their season unfortunately came to an end the only thing I am looking forward to is hopefully watching the Seahawks lose. I don't think you understand how much I despise that disgusting team. Their coach irritates me to the point of me wanting to rip my hair out, Richard Sherman wins biggest douche bag in the league (not corner), the rest of the team is full of huge punks that think they're the shit when they've only won one Super Bowl, and their fans are the loudest most obnoxious fans any team has. I just give my heart out to all of those crazy Seahawks fans, I'm sorry you have to cheer for such a disgusting team and stand behind an annoying coach.
Some people that just read that may thing I'm being biased because I like the 49ers and that's their rival team, but I honestly just don't enjoy them one bit. And I am definitely not the person to judge, but if you're a Seahawks fan we are probably not friends and probably will not become friends :)
In the meantime continue to give them bad vibes and hopefully they come out of Sunday's game with a loss!

Me reppin' the west coast and my niners (even though they suck)

PS- if they win the Superbowl two times in a row I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

Football Banquet

November 13, 2014. Thursday. Football Banquet. I've always loved banquets, for any sport.. even if they're not mine. It's a time to look over the entire season and appreciate all of the memories that were made. To be honest, while they are very fun and exciting they are also very sad. It's a time when the underclassman have to say goodbye to the departing seniors. And unfortunately one of the departing seniors is my besets friend and also boyfriend (ew I hate that word).
To start off the banquet everyone got lined up to get dinner. As always the freshmen get last pick so there really wasn't any food left when we finally got to the front. After everyone got comfortable the coaches played a slideshow of the games with some pump up music. After that it was on to awards. For the freshmen team there were two possible awards: defensive player of the year and offensive player of the year. The entire team basically knew that Beau would get offensive player and Joey would get defensive player.
The coaches finally got up to the podium and they said they were starting with defensive player. After a couple seconds of suspense our coach called out my name.. wait what? I was shocked. It took me a couple seconds to actually get out of my seat because I thought he confused my brother and I. Once I stood up and started walking on stage I heard everyone start to chant "Preston" (best friend) because they think it's funny to give us a hard time. After the big scene Beau got called up for offensive player as expected. We got plaques and got our pictures taken.

Beau and I after receiving our awards:)

I felt bad for my brother, I felt he deserved the award more and he looked disappointed, but there wasn't anything I could do.
After JV it was time for varsity. The first award was Most Improved. What do ya know, Preston gets it. Right when he started to walk up to the stage all the boys started chanting my name. Just the boys giving us a hard time again. After Preston walked off the stage he said jokingly that it was a big slap in the face getting Most Improved.
The funniest part of the banquet was when the seniors awarded the coaches with their coaches gifts (which were meant to be a joke). For example, the freshmen assistant coach ended up getting a coloring book because we're the babies in the group.

Kaybree (manager) and I after the banquet:)

Overall it ended up being a memorable first banquet, I'll definitely miss my senior boy(s), but I'm looking forward to another memorable year the everyone else.

The Hamstring Bowl

November 27, 2014. Thanksgiving. The one day where everyone is basically required to be thankful for everything they are grateful for (this should happen everyday anyway, I don't know why we have to have one day devoted to it) and there is usually a big dinner. On Thanksgiving my family is always involved in a Thanksgiving football game, now known as the Hamstring Bowl. You may be wondering why it is named that. Well, every year one of the adults either pulls their hamstring or tears it, hence the name. But anyway, every year the games get pretty competitive.. but this year got a little out of hand..
To start the day off my two brothers (Coco and Joey) and my dad woke me up and told me to get ready. We ended up leaving the house around 10:50 to get to the game by 11:00. We showed up and there were about 6 families there. Easy. The teams were split up 3 and 3. The game started and everyone was slipping and sliding because there was still some snow on the ground. The other team ended up scoring a touchdown and we were down by 7. Every time a team got a possessions they scored (the defense was pretty bad). The game kept going and then things started getting out of hand..
My dad and his friends on the other team were getting REALLY into it. They all started pushing each other around, and take in mind my dad is a big guy with a fairly short temper, AND he is very competitive (I think that's where I got it all from). What happened was one of his friends started hitting him, and him being the big guy he is cannot hit back. Anyway my dad started yelling at him and ended up walking off the field and driving home because he knows his limits and didn't want it to get out of hand.
Of course this ruined the mood and upset my bothers and I. After the game, our team ended up losing and I honestly just wanted to go home and sleep.

I was too annoyed to be in the group picture.

Aside from the game my Thanksgiving was a good one and I had a lot and still do have a lot to be thankful for. Quick reminder- tell people how grateful you are for them, you never know the last time you'll see them.

The End Of It All?

I experienced my last two football games of the season. Or maybe ever. We played Stansbury on the 14th and Juan Diego on the 23rd. These past couple of weeks have been hard, football has always been apart of my life and I didn't want it to end so soon. I really wanted to make the most of the last couple of days and kick ass in the games.

First game: Stansbury. We drove an hour after school and arrived. The guys took what seemed like an hour to get dressed, but after around twenty minutes we were all suited up on the field. We finished our dynamics and AJ got the team pumped up by doing his traditional speech in the huddle. We started the game and it was already off to a bad start. NO ONE could tackle, NOTHING was happening on offense, and special teams was TERRIBLE. Oh, and during the game this kid thought it would be funny if he helped me up (after I tackled him) and hit my butt. I thought it was hilarious *sarcasm*. I ended up getting a few tackles but not my desirable amount. The game ended a lot to a little (no need for the score, it was bad). 

Playing *posing* during the Stansbury game

Second game: Juan Diego. Rivals. We all knew we had to leave it all on the field because it was our last game of the season. It was a home game and we knew parents, friends, and family would be there watching. The game had begun.. and it was off to a good start. They scored, we scored, they scored, we scored. There were five seconds left in the first half and JD was up by a touchdown. They threw a pass and Tyler intercepted it and dove into the end zone to put six on the board. Now the second half is when it went down hill.. We couldn't make a stop on defense and we couldn't get anything started on offense. Unfortunately we ended up losing the game by eleven. I was not pleased with myself and you can never end on a bad note. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up playing football my sophomore year.

After our last football game as freshmen(woman)

Can Guys Actually Hit Girls?

October 8 Park City vs Bear River.
To be honest this turned out to be the worst day ever. I went to bed late the night before because I didn't have a good night, at all. I decided it would be a good idea to take first period off and sleep. Once I finally got to school the front desk lady said I wasn't eligible to play since I missed first period. I was completely taken off guard, I freaked out and called my dad. He was able to sort it out with the athletic director which meant I would be able to take the long bus ride down to Bear River.

I was disoriented the whole day and was delighted when it was finally time for us to get checked out. The whole ride there all I was thinking about was the night before, I couldn't get it off my mind. I was in such a bad mood, I was extremely excited to go hit some boys.

After a couple hours we arrived at Bear River. We all unloaded the bus and made our way to the field. Our coaches were still trying to figure out the locker situation so we all kinda dicked around for a while. While we were waiting Bear River showed up and since I didn't have my pads on I got a lot of stares (the usual). All of the boys looked like farmer boys and I swear half of them had mullets. At first glance they didn't look very big and they looked like nice boys, I came to find out that was definitely not the case...

Our coaches finally got our locker room situation down and the guys all went to change while I went into the girls bathroom. I always am the quickest person to change so I was left sitting by myself for  a little while. All I could think about was the previous night, I was getting so much adrenaline and anxiety mixed together. I literally could not wait to go on the field and hit someone.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the boys all got dressed, we finished dynamics, and the game was about to start. The first play of the game I realized it was going to be a rough and tough one. The lineman I were up against were stocky and very strong. The kid who was lined up on me said, "I got the girl" one of the plays which really ticked me off. I replied with, "Oh really?" and hit him as hard as I could and knocked him to the ground. He got up and made some nasty comments and told me to look at the score board because we were getting out asses kicked. At that point I was so pissed that he was mouthing off that I grabbed his shoulder pads and took him with me to the ground. He got up and punched me, got a personal foul, and the ref separated us. Guys like that ruin my football games.

The final score was 50-0, the kid was right we did get our asses kicked, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing I was disappointed. We left immediately after the game and decided to go to Wendy's because honestly food makes everything better. It was a tough game but that's when you know you'll just have to work hard the next week.

Me enjoying my comfort food at Wendy's ;)

Stay tuned for next week when Park City takes on Stansbury!

October 2, Park City vs Highland Junior High

No bus ride. Home game. Highland Junior High. All the guys were looking forward to being at home and playing on our field. Immediately after school ended we all walked to the high school together. Everyone got taped, dressed, put in their headphones, and focused. Personally, I always get nervous before games, but I was especially nervous for this one because my grandparents flew in to watch me. After the nerves finally subsided I was able to start talking about the game with coaches and the guys. Our defensive coordinator had a play where the defensive line (me) switched to go to linebackers during the cadence, that was the only big change we had. Other than that we were ready to play our game of football.

After we all got onto the field we started dynamics and ended with miner-jacks. The captains were called up, we differed, and the game had started. The game was going well, we had scored a couple touchdowns and I realized I had met the refs prior to this season. One of them had ejected my dad from a game the previous year (my dad gets very competitive and usually argues multiples times with the refs). The other ref was an old, but very happy ref. They were both making conversation with me during the game which I thought was pretty funny. Sometimes I thought (not trying to be conceited) they were focusing on me more than making the actual calls. Also, during the game I tackled a kid who I later found out was Devante. He asked my name after a play and kept saying ,"Good job Morgan!" after I got a tackle.

The game ended and the final score was 39-0. We had finally won a game!! That sounds terrible knowing we were so happy for winning a single game, but baby steps are always a good thing.

Sage, Kris, and I after the game :)

We had a talk with our coaches in the end zone, they congratulated us, and right after I made the guys take pictures. The guys have gotten used to me acting like a girl at certain points and they always agree to take pictures. Once pictures were done and the boys left I ran and hugged my grandparents, I was so happy they were able to watch the game we actually won! Preston also came over and gave me a hug and introduced himself to my grandparents.

Preston and I after the game :)

I said my goodbyes and went to leave for the locker room. On the way down I saw four of the guys we had just played against. One of them introduced himself as Devante (the kid that kept saying good job to me during the game) and told me his name was one to remember. I always enjoy guys that are nice to me and accept me as a player in the game, not just a girl.

Stay tuned for next week when the freshman team takes on Bear River!

September 26 Park City vs Uintah Utes

Throwing it back to two weeks ago. Park City Freshmen (and woman) travel to Uintah to face the Utes. Obviously, the point of being on the football team is actually playing in the games, but the bus rides always add an interesting and always fun aspect to the season. The bus ride to Uintah is 2 1/2 hours. Most "normal" people would sleep their way through the ride, go over plays, snack on some food. Not our team. The entire way to the field the team piled to the back of the bus and had rap battles. I'm sure everyone has heard the term "white guys can't rap" and that point was definitely proven correct that day. None of the guys were rhyming, all it consisted of was raunchy, inappropriate jokes.

Polaroid of the rap battle crew.

7Once we finally got to the field we immediately got off the bus and went to the locker rooms. I was super excited that I actually had a locker room to change in this time (I had to change in a utility closet the last away game). Everyone got change and the specialties went on to the field first. After 10  minutes the rest of us walked out. The stadium was nice, music started playing, and we started our dynamics. The refs called the captains and we were notified we were kicking off. The game had started. We started off okay and then it started going down hill... The offensive line wasn't giving Joey and Tyler (our quarterbacks) enough time and our defense could not contain or make any tackles. The final score was 51-21.

After the game our coaches gave us all the choice of staying for the varsity game or going home. Half of the team decided to stay. We had a while until varsity so our coaches took us out to Wendy's. Although our game did not go as planned, the rest of the night was fun. It was Uintah's homecoming game so there were tons of people, it was decorated, and there was a really cool halftime show. 

Polaroid of Kaybree and I at the varsity game.

We made the best of the day and it ended up being fun. Stay tuned for the news about our next game when we face Highland Junior High.

Girls Can Play Football Too?

Hello fellow football fanatics, my name is Morgan. I was born in San Francisco, California, hence the reason I love the Forty Niners. I have a little sister, a little brother, and a twin brother. My dad played football for CAL Berkeley and Rugby for CAL Berkeley, in which he won three national championships. Both of my brothers started football in 3rd grade and have continued until now. As you can probably tell, we are a big football family.

My dad, little bother (Coco), and I at his opening football game.

Since I have been surrounded by football my entire childhood, I decided I wanted to indulge into it myself. It took months to try to convince my parents. The funny part is, my mom was the one who agreed to it first. After my dad finally gave in, I signed up for my first season of football. Now you may be thinking, a girl paying tackle football? Many people believe football is strictly a male dominant sport, I decided I wanted to take on the task of changing peoples' perspective.
My first three years of playing football were for the Park City Miners Youth Football teams. Now, in present day, I play for Park City High School Football  on the freshman team.

Park City High School freshman team picture.

I often get asked, are the boys mean to you, do they support you on the team? Obviously football is a very competitive sport and sometimes I do get in fights with boys from other teams. As for my team, we're like a family. We fight like brother and sister, but we are always there to pick each other up. We've been through some really rough games and tough times, but that's what has made us stronger and created an even tighter bond.

Sage Doman, Chris Krebs, and myself after a football practice.

Next week the freshman team takes on the Uintah Utes. Stay tuned for news from the game and the 3 hour bus ride!