What I’m Thankful For This Year in JV Football
Every year when the leaves turn, the air cools, and the grocery stores start stocking pumpkin pies like they’re bracing for the pastry apocalypse, I find myself slowing down and thinking about the things I’m thankful for. Thanksgiving season does that to a person. And if you’re a JV football coach, it does it in a very specific way.
See, most people reflect on the “big life things” during Thanksgiving: health, family, friends, the warm comforting embrace of mashed potatoes. JV coaches reflect on different things, too — like players finally taking the proper step on Power after seven weeks of having an existential crisis about which foot moves first, or assistant coaches who don’t run your practice periods 10 minutes over, or the sweet, sweet gift of Tuesday walk-throughs actually looking like the game plan you installed on Monday.
So this year, I wanted to put together my own version of a gratitude list — not the general, vague “I’m thankful for vibes” list, but a real one. A JV coach list. A list rooted in the trenches, in player development, in systemic chaos turned into small victories, and in the beautiful mess that is sub-varsity football.
These are the things I’m thankful for this season.
1. My Supportive Family — The Real MVPs
Let’s start with the group that deserves the first, second, and third Thank You: my family.
My wife, Paula, very begrudgingly has accepted the fact that football is something that is a big part of my life. Over the years, she has even grown to like it, but it’s still hard. From August to November, she’s essentially a single parent. It has been hard, and there have been times where I’ve almost (and very deservingly) been kicked to the curb, but season 13 has come and gone, and we’re still here.
Every JV coach knows the truth — football season doesn’t just take over your weekdays… it takes over your year. You start in August, full of optimism, fresh shorts, and a whistle that hasn’t yet been aggressively chewed on out of frustration. And from that point forward, you’re basically living two lives: the one on the field, and the one at home that politely waits for you to return sometime in November.
Coaching JV football means late practices, long film sessions, game nights that always run later than planned, and an in-season brain that is 90% football, 5% family reminders you forgot to respond to, and 5% “where did I put my keys?”
My family endures it all. They wait through the long days, listen to all the stories, take on all the venting, and yet they still cheer me on. They sacrifice quality time, quiet dinners, and weekend sanity so I can invest in other people’s kids, helping them grow as athletes and as young men. That’s no small thing.
And let’s be honest — they also deal with the in-season version of me, the one who walks through the door after practice with grass stains, a raspy voice, and the emotional energy of a wet napkin after a rough Tuesday inside run period.
So this one is simple:
To my wife, my kids, and my extended family — thank you.
Thank you for being patient, understanding, and supportive.
Thank you for listening when I ramble about guard footwork.
Thank you for celebrating the wins and comforting me through the losses.
And thank you for being the steady, loving foundation that makes it possible for me to be a coach, a teacher, and a mentor.
Because when the season ends, I don’t just get my evenings back — I get you back. And you’re worth more than any scoreboard.
2. Eager Players Hoping to Develop — The Heart of JV Football
If you want to know the soul of JV football, look at the faces of your players on Day 1. They walk in with oversized shoulder pads, mismatched socks, and a level of optimism you simply don’t see at higher levels of the sport. They want to learn. They want to grow. They want to prove something — to you, to the varsity staff, to their teammates, and to themselves.
And I am incredibly thankful for players like that.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; JV football is the last pure bastion of the sport of football. It’s the last and only place where players are playing for the pure love of their teammates and the game. No accolades, no name in the paper, no championships. 5 days of practice a week for 10 weeks, just for 8 games (if they’re lucky) and the chance to go out there and prove that they can hang.
JV players are the wonderful mix of “I have no idea what I’m doing” and “Coach, I’ll run through that wall if you say it’ll help the team.” You don’t get that combination anywhere else. They don’t complain about reps — they fight for them. They don’t shy away from learning — they hunger for it. They don’t see JV as a demotion — they see it as their proving ground.
Every year, I get a roster full of kids who genuinely want to get better, and this season’s crew was no exception to that. They want coaching. They respond to correction. They listen when you teach. And when they mess up (and oh, they will mess up), they bounce back with even more energy than before. One of the best parts of JV football is the growth. You see it week by week. A kid who couldn’t take a proper first step in September is blowing open holes in October. A linebacker who was terrified of filling a gap is suddenly meeting running backs with force. A wide receiver who couldn’t align correctly now motions with confidence like he’s lining up in the Super Bowl.
These kids make the job special. They’re not polished, they’re not perfect, and they’re certainly not finished products. What they are, though, is eager. They’re committed. And they get better every single week.
And for that — this Thanksgiving — I am deeply thankful.
3. Assistant Coaches Who Support & Encourage the Vision
Assistant coaches are the unsung heroes of JV football. They’re the ones who show up ready to work, ready to teach, and ready to get a group of high-energy teenagers focused on playing the right way. And I cannot express enough how thankful I am for mine.
For the past four seasons, Logan Whitmore and Dave Lohrmann have been by my side, through the ups and downs, supporting our kids and me in the development of our players. Bob Moore came along last season, and for two years now has been our spiritual guide and positive light through the turbulence of a football season. I couldn’t be more proud of these men and the work they do, because they make life so much easier on me.
If you’ve ever run a JV practice without assistant coaches… you know true panic. You know chaos. You know what it feels like to be one voice surrounded by 30 teenagers who all want to ask you a question about the play you just explained three times. But when you have assistants who believe in the mission, who support the structure, and who coach with energy and clarity — your JV team becomes a machine.
I’m thankful for assistants who:
run Indy periods with passion
teach fundamentals with consistency
hold kids accountable
reinforce the culture
bring positivity and energy
coach with detail and purpose
jump in wherever needed without hesitation
I’m thankful for the coaches who get the big picture — that JV football is not about perfection, it’s about growth. They encourage kids when they struggle. They celebrate small improvements. They take pride in the development of players who may not ever get headlines but are essential to future varsity success.
A great assistant coach makes practice smoother. They bring stability and build confidence in players. And a great assistant coach supports the system you’re trying to build.
Having a staff that encourages our vision and believes in molding young athletes the right way is invaluable — and something I will always be grateful for.
4. A Head Varsity Coach With a Great Vision for the Future
There are few blessings in the coaching world greater than a varsity head coach with a vision — not just for wins, not just for schemes, but for building a program that thrives at every level.
For 13 years, I’ve known Aaron Rivers, and have worked with him to build a culture of strong, winning football at our school. From our own time together on JV, to working under him when he graduated to Varsity, our time together has been focused on building this program into something the kids can be proud of.
I am incredibly thankful to be part of a program where the varsity coach understands the importance of JV development. Someone who values the process. Someone who invests in the foundation. Someone who trusts the sub-varsity coaches to teach, mold, and prepare the players who will eventually fill the Friday night lights.
A great varsity coach provides something sub-varsity programs desperately need: direction. You know where the program is headed. You know the expectations and the culture. You know the long-term goals, and how the JV level fits into the puzzle.
Working with a leader who celebrates development, encourages teaching, and reinforces the identity of the program is a gift. A program with a united vision is a program that grows. And ours is on the rise because of that leadership. Coach Rivers is the right guy for the job, and I’m happy to be on his staff.
So this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for that vision — and the person behind it.
5. And Finally… Power — The Greatest Gift a JV Coach Could Ever Receive
I talked about this last week, but it needs to be said again: I am thankful for Power. Like, legitimately thankful. Like, if Thanksgiving dinner had a side dish called “Gap Scheme,” I’d go back for seconds.
Power is the play that never leaves you. It is trustworthy. It is loyal. It is ruthless. It is beautiful.
And best of all — it works every level, every year, with every style of kid.
At the JV level, it teaches everything you want players to learn: leverage, angles, down blocks, double teams, physicality, and teamwork. It gives your offensive line a purpose. your backs a lane, and your offense an identity.
And when run well? It gives your opponents headaches
So yes, this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for Power — not just because it’s a great play, but because it makes my players better, our system smoother, and my job easier.
Closing Thoughts: A Season Worth Giving Thanks For
JV football is chaotic, exhausting, rewarding, challenging, and beautiful all at once. And as I look back on this season, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude — not just for the wins or the growth, but for the people and moments that made it special.
To my family — thank you.
To my players — thank you.
To my assistant coaches — thank you.
To our head varsity coach — thank you.
To Power — thank you (truly).
As we enter the Thanksgiving season, I hope every coach out there takes a moment to step back, breathe, and remember what makes this job meaningful. Look back on all the kids you’ve had the pleasure of working with and helping to develop. Keep the memories with you, and build on them. And never take for granted the role we play in their journey matters.
Happy Thanksgiving, coaches. Enjoy the break, the family time, and the food. Cross your fingers that the English Bulldog wins the Dog Show, and that the Cowboys lose (again). And enjoy knowing you made a difference this year.
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I’ll be back in two weeks after the break with more JV football conversation. In the meantime, don’t forget; Teach it, rep it, build it, that’s the JV way.
