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Tigers footballers learn leadership tactics from marines

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The Globe football team under coach Morales took the Marine Corps Challenge last week at Harbison field. All the boys from hefty seniors to freshmen with a lot of growing to do, went through military related challenges under the direction of instructors wearing t-shirts that said, “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” And there was a lot of weakness leaving the body as the boys pressed 25-pound Ammunition boxes above their heads until their arms screamed.

The Ammunition boxes got more service as they completed a 50-yard course that included dashing, belly crawling, crawling on hands and knees, zig zag running, grabbing a partner and dragging him about 10 yards back from the finish line and carrying him, fireman style back to the start. After carrying his partner back to the start, the student got to carry two ammo boxes out to where a grenade was teed up for them to pick up and throw. Then it was five pushups and a trip back to the start with the ammo boxes.

The Marine instructors gave awards not for winning races, but for leadership and heart. Caden Hansen, the quarterback Angel Hernandez, slot receiver, and Trace Hill, linebacker, received awards for leadership and center Marorquis Williams got an award for heart, for never giving up.

The whole team stood by Williams as he struggled with tasks not in a center’s skill set, and Trace Hill ran up and down the near side line shouting encouragement and advice to his teammates carrying their partners or lumbering along with the infamous ammo boxes. Jonathan Ortega could be heard urging his “ride” Tristan Burns to “push it!” and “control your breathing!”

Different Tigers were better at different parts of the Challenge, but in the eyes of Coach Morales they were a winning team, and “Stronger than last year.”

Photos by Susanne Jerome

 Marorquis Williams accepts an award for heart.

Jonathan Ortega tells Tristan Burns to “push it.”

Burns drags Ortega in another exercise (right).

 The 2018-2019 Globe Tigers football team.