When it comes to high school football, there usually are two main teams, Junior varsity (JV) and varsity. Varsity is the main stage, where the best on the team play, mainly upperclassmen, and these are the games that really matter. Junior varsity is usually underclassmen, who develop and get ready for when it’s their time to play Varsity. Getting the call up from JV to Varsity is a big deal. I interviewed multiple first year varsity players to see what their experience has been like.
Beginning as a varsity player is an adjustment for players who have started on junior varsity.
Starting right guard Anthony Vrabel said, “ Varsity is much more challenging, you just can’t afford to mess up on varsity the way you can at lower levels of play.”
When asked about how it feels to play varsity, starting center Nick Donatelli responded, “It feels great, playing at the highest level in high school football is always exciting.” Preparation for junior varsity is very different from preparing for varsity. Anthony Vrabel said “There’s always at least a week of preparation for a varsity game. We're constantly conditioning and studying the other team to have the best chance at winning.”
When it comes to the players’ goals, they mostly have the same goals in mind. The most common answers were “An undefeated season, ” Anthony Vrabel said. Or “Win the state championship,” Nick Donatelli said. Some advice Nick Donatelli had for players starting varsity for the first time is, “Be on the coaches good side, work hard and lift weights.”