The Men Beneath The Helmets

BY Kinslie Washington and Victoria GaikwadWe all know them, we all see them, and we all want to be friends with them, but who really are the football players when their not on the field or in the spotlight? What makes them who they really are, or the type of person they want to be? When we people see the players, we jump to categorize and stereotype them but there is so much more to them than meets the eye. The Trojan Torch was able to sit down with two new football players at Jenks High School and get the different perspectives on their school year at Jenks.Roman HopkinsImagine switching to a new school your senior year knowing little to no people, in a class of 824 students, coming from a private school with a graduating class of roughly 65 students. What else to do but join popular sports and clubs that will give you clout, hopefully surrounding you with the right people.Roman Hopkins started at Jenks High School his senior year and joined the football team to meet all the guys and make friends.“It was my last highschool experience of playing football before I go off to college,” said Hopkins.But what people don't know about Roman is he has been playing football since it was flag football, or that he reads his Bible every night before he goes to bed. Coming from a Christian school, he wants to have a open mindset on everything and just be friends with everyone, though he doesn't want to form any serious relationships with anyone because this is his last year in highschool. He loves his church and his family and his friends so much he would do anything for them, even if it would be the last thing for him. Because he has such a big heart, his dad put him in jiu jitsu when he was 8 years old to make him seem tougher. It stuck for a while. He just stopped fighting professionally last year. He got so good at it, he started getting paid for it, and travelling to compete. But it took up so much of his time training for it and it just wasn't what he was passionate about. so he stopped. The only bad thing for him about Jenks is the playing time. “Coming from a school with not as many kids, I would always be playing, compared to Jenks where everyone is trying their hardest to play,” said Hopkins. But he loves how open and inviting everyone at jenks is and how everyone is just a big family. Dreyson WattersTry to picture moving to a new state, and completely different school with people you have never met and or seen before. Dreyson Watters a senior this year at Jenks, and he’s a starter on the Jenks Varsity football team. Dreyson has been playing since the age of 7, but in Bastrop, Texas. Moving here for him was a big change and all new but he adapted quickly. “Since I have been here, it’s been really neat just how close everyone is, and how everyone wants to win which is a huge deal,” says Watters. “Football is huge here.” He feels very at home here and loves the recognition of people all around school.“It’s kind of neat how important you are to other people,” says Watters. “What I do is important to other people and the community.” The only true hardship Dreyson faces is that his dad is not currently his coach. His father has been his coach since he first started playing. He was raised to be very hardworking and determined, which is exactly what he portrays on and off the field. Even though football is very important to him, he is very into academics and striving to be the best in every aspect. Although he plays baseball and runs track, Dreyson plans on focusing more on football and plans on playing in college as well. He is a family man, and the fact that his cousins attended or are currently going to Jenks made the transition just a little smoother.