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Friday night marks the annual Youth Night at the Bellwood-Antis football game, where the youth football players and cheerleaders are recognized. Every year before the game the varsity football team goes to Myers Elementary School and the B-A middle school to read to students in kindergarten through 6th grade. 

This is a tradition that the football team has been doing for four years.

“I think the football team reading serves 2 purposes for us:  First it is a little recruiting tool for the young kids to see the varsity football players in their classrooms, and it allows the younger kids to put a face to the number when they are at the games on Friday nights,” said Coach Nick Lovrich.  “But the main thing it does is it helps our players become better, well-rounded young men.  It helps them realize that these young kids look up to them as role models and want to be like them when they are older.  It also allows our guys to get out of their comfort zone a little and speak to other people than just their friends and family.  It is hard when you are not used to talking to groups, and going to the Myers classrooms allows them to do that.  Reading is a great skill to have and we are also promoting reading to the kids by good examples to them.”

The football players themselves have come to look forward to and enjoy the special day.

Senior Andrew Nycum said, “It is a lot of fun. I like doing it because it brings the school together as a whole.”

Senior Tighe Eaken added, “It is great for the kids because they look up to us and it is all around a fun experience.”

The players know that it is important to the kids, so there is always excitement for the team to get to see the younger students. 

“All the players I talked to today really enjoyed their time at the Myers, and I have been getting good feedback from the teachers in the classrooms they visited,” Coach Lovrich said. “I would call it a win for the team so far today!”