Texas School for the Deaf wins Division I Six-Man State Championship
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
Hello! Can you introduce yourselves and your role with the team?
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
Hello! My name is John Moore, Jr. I’m the high school football head coach here.
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
Hello, I’m Kylar Sicoli. I’m a football player.
[Video clip of TSD Rangers running out on field]
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
Congratulations on winning the six-man state championship! What does it mean to you to win this?
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
It is inspiring for the boys. I’m really thrilled for the players and those in the past who shaped the football culture here.
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
It’s always been my — our — dream to compete and go far in the playoffs. The past two years we got eliminated and it was not a good feeling to leave early. Now we have ended the season with a victory. It’s unheard of. We always end the season with a loss, but now it’s a win. It is a different, strange feeling. But it’s a very good feeling, for sure.
[Video clip of a play from the championship match]
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
Nice. I know that TSD has a history of 11-man football, but now it’s changed to six-man. Can you explain the main reasons?
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
With the coronavirus pandemic, we were prepared for an impact on the football program in the fall. It was not just Covid-19, but the number of boys who were interested in playing football went down. The pandemic cut down on the number of athletes. Some of those who wanted to play football were too far away and their parents told them they could only learn virtually. The boys wanted to play but couldn’t. So the numbers went down.
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
What are the differences between six-man and 11-man? With 11-man, every yard counts. By one yard, by two yards, or by three yards. But with six-man, it comes in bunches of 10 yards or 15 yards. There is a lot of speed in the game. A lot of quick runs. There is more conditioning. With 11-man, you can relax a bit and get away with it, but with six-man, you have to run and chase people.
[Video clip of a play from the championship game]
THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
You beat Veritas in the championship game. In your first game, which was against them, you lost, but in the final game, you beat them. What was different from the first game to the last game?
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
We had a lot to learn. You think you are prepared enough but when it is time to play, you are like, “Oh. It’s totally different from what you have prepared yourself and your players for.” Actually a referee approached me before the first game — I knew the referee from a previous 11-man game — and we had small talk. He asked me why I scheduled a game against Veritas because they are three-time state champions and one of the best six-man teams in the district. I said we needed a game. Also what better way is there to learn quickly than to play a strong team? Towards the end of the season, I think our players became confident. We became more creative. We really used our players abilities to their maximum potential. That was a huge change.
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
After the first game, we were all fatigued. We couldn’t catch our breath. We weren’t used to the game because it was so different. Anyone could catch the ball. We had a lot to learn. After the first game, we understood six-man football better. After every game, we got better and better. We peaked at the championship match and we all played our best.
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THE DAILY MOTH (ALEX):
How are you handling things with coronavirus? Testing, making sure it’s safe, masks, and the like?
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
We started off practicing with no masks. But later at the beginning of the season, we had face shields for helmets. It was very hot because we would be breathing into our helmet. Later on, we saw other teams wear a mask on their helmets. We tried using that and it was better, and we have used that since then.
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
We had to limit the number of people in the locker room. We would split the team up to take turns. They had their forehead temperature tested before they went inside the locker room. We would send a group of boys on the field and another group would go inside. We rotated the groups. We did the same with the weight room. We wore masks in the weight room and in the lockers, when we changed clothes and went out. With the masks, it becomes hard to see as your field of vision is cut in half. The players had to adjust to it. In the end, it worked out for everyone.
[Video clip of a play from championship game]
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
I want to show gratitude to the community and to the school for their wonderful support for this football program. I hope that this success inspires other schools to do the same. It applies to football, whether it is 11-man, 8-man, or six-man. Grab opportunities with football at any level.
[Video clip of players celebrating with the championship trophy]
COACH JOHN MOORE JR:
I also want to add that it is an honor for this school’s football program to be in the same discussion with other state champions such as the New Mexico School for the Deaf, the Arizona School for the Deaf, and other schools that won state championships. It’s nice to be mentioned in that group. I know we are not the first, but we hope that more schools will have the same opportunity and experience to compete and win it all.
PLAYER KYLAR SICOLI:
I really appreciate all of your, the deaf community, and even the hearing community, all of your support. We’re dealing with coronavirus and everyone has always stuck together and been supportive. I truly appreciate your support.