As the old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. That is especially true with football.
The athletes are massive, environments are rowdy, and the entire week revolves around Friday nights. Schools spend huge amounts of money on football, including $35 million for a stadium for a stadium— when enrollment is less than 2,000 students.
High school football in the Lone Star State is just different and apparently that is also true on the middle school level! Take Willow Springs for example.
Part of the Lovejoy ISD, Willow Springs enrolls approximately 750 students in the 7th and 8th grade from Fairview, Lucas and Allen, Texas. For those who aren’t familiar with the region, there is a lot of money in that part of the state.
The median household income in Allen, TX is $118,254. The median household income in Lucas, TX is $159,563. You get the idea.
Thus, there is a lot of money to be invested into middle school football and Willow Springs goes all-out. Its seventh grade team played on Tuesday night.
The environment was truly unbelievable, to the point that most small college programs would be jealous.
Players took the field by running out of an LED-equipped tunnel, past two flaming towers and through a row of at least 25 cheerleaders. A train horn played over the stadium sound system as the lights flashed over them.
All of this for SEVENTH GRADERS!
To make it even crazier, Willow Springs only serves two grades. There are enough players to field separate football teams for both seventh and eighth grade.
And they go all-out like this for every home game!
High school football in Texas is unlike any other experience in the country. The same can be said for the middle school level in affluent parts of the state.
Most middle school teams don’t even have enough helmets that fit, let alone an LED tunnel, fireworks, and a light show. Insane!