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Mac Huffman, ID Editor in Chief
Chronic mispeller, usually outdoors, photo obsessed and founding ID Editor in Chief. When Mac's not editing, they're typically designing infographics or...
Varsity Football Defeats Lindbergh Sept. 10
September 16, 2021
For senior Russell Malone and the rest of his team, Friday football games don’t start at kickoff. Instead, it’s a whole day process. With routine changes, higher stress levels and the need to prepare for the game, football players, especially varsity, take on a mental and physical responsibility.
“[Game day] involves a lot of physical prep. I drink a good one or two Pedialyte a day for hydration so I’m not cramping on the field. I stretch a lot and get all wrapped up with tape,” Malone said. “Everything takes a good amount of time – [I spend] a lot of time in the training office or in the training room.”
Players are at school from when class starts to the end of the game, which varies due to start time and overtime but is typically around 9 p.m. But, players don’t get home until after 10 p.m. Since players are at school for so long, head coach Mike Tarpey caters Jimmy John’s for players to eat at around 3 p.m. After eating, they head to walk throughs where they ‘walk through’ their plays, hence the name. Players get their gear on and head to warm ups, where they do cardio and stretching to get ready for the game.
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Russell Malone #21, gets ready for the game with his teammates by doing warmups.
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As camera crew sets up and the stadium just starts to fill, Ladue players run warm ups.
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Band members have stopped pregame practice after families and students start arriving, but more band students are yet to arrive.
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Lindbergh students wear white and look out at the teams warming up.
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Lindbergh cheerleaders start hyping up the crowd.
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Laduettes Julia Gourtzelis, Megan Byer and Allie Rosen pose for photos before the game starts.
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Malone leads stretches with his teammates before they head off the field and to the locker rooms to get in the right headspace for the game.
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Malone Leads warm ups
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Cheer sets up the grand entrance for the football team with a banner for Ladue players to run through.
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Rams come through the grand entrance, causing the stadium to erupt into cheers.
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The team runs across the field to their coaches.
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They head to the sidelines to talk to their coaches and huddle up.
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Players take off their helmets out of respect while the anthem plays.
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Lindbergh cheerleaders take formation for the anthem.
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Mason Taylor starts for Ladue after winning the coin toss.
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Players wait on the sidelines as the game progresses.
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Beau dolan #2, talks with one of his coaches before going into the game.
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Russell Malone #21 stands on sidelines with his teammates and watches his other teammates play.
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Tommy Margulis #23, Russell Malone #21 and a JV player #25 wait on sidelines and watch as Lindbergh closes the gap in score.
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In the student section they foster team spirit by wearing the theme, red white and blue. Student Sydney Adams brought a flag to the game with American icon Nicki Minaj on it.
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After some time Ladue gains the lead again pushing the score to 13-7 right before half time. As players celebrate the lead, one player celebrates by running into his coach.
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At halftime the players leave to go to the locker rooms while laduettes take the field and band plays. Students leave for concession stands and bathrooms but come back to see the laduettes performance.
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Malone talks with his coach before being put into the game.
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When a player of any team gets injured all players take a knee out of respect, coaches use this pause to their advantage to talk to their players without having to call a timeout.
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#63 takes a knee as he watches his teammate walk off the field with an injured arm.
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As Lindbergh closes in on the end zone Malone makes a crucial tackle, preventing Lindbergh from winning and pushing the game into double overtime.
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Max Eastmen and Davidson Birchfield pose for photos after the game.
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Jadon Bowman, George Wherle, Emerson harrold, Max Eastman, Jack Mitchell and Jared Rhodes celebrate their win.
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Russell Malone poses for photos after game ends.
