Football, the beloved sport at De Soto High School, is starting a new season with the addition of brand-new players. Behind the games, there is an entire community of coaches and players that all contribute to the core values of the team.
Within this community, the time commitment is extraordinary. Joel Thaemert, a teacher and assistant football coach at DHS, comments on the extent of preparation.
“The coaches that do the weights in the summer, and practice 4 days a week, for an hour a day. Some coaches are up here a long time in the summer,” said Thaemert. “And then during the season, I don’t know how many hours, watching film, breaking down film, planning for practice and game planning for the opponent. It’s a lot of hours that I’d rather not count.”
Although the commitment may be extreme, the coaches are well-versed in their sport. Head football coach and teacher at DHS, Brian King, talks about how long he has coached.
“I coached 20 years, but I’ve been at De Soto 16 years, and as a head coach [for] 12,” said King.
Because the coaches put in such a tremendous effort, they have several favorite moments from last year. For instance, students from the class of 2024 on last year’s team made a positive impact on the coaching staff.
“It was just a great senior class. I could go on and on and on, it was a really fun group,” said Thaemert.
Some of these good qualities from the team comes from the leadership of the coaches. Their principles are what makes it so memorable. King explains how he and the other football coaches instruct their athletes to express the morals they have set on and off the field.
“We teach kids to do the little things right. In the community, in the classroom, on the football field, and in the hallways. They’re great guys who pay attention to detail that are going to show up and lead by example, they’re going to be disciplined, and accountable. By doing these things right, success is going to become a byproduct,” said King.
Moving forward, the coaches are optimistic for what’s in store for the upcoming season. Todd Hessong, an assistant football coach and teacher, speaks on what he is most excited to see.
“I love Friday nights, getting to play, [and] getting to see the senior group. I started coaching them in basketball [when they were] in 8th grade. So getting to see a lot of those guys play as seniors now, it’s fun,” said Hessong. “They’re all great competitors, and so I’m looking forward to competing.”
The coaches aren’t the only ones optimistic about this year. Drew Parks, a senior at DHS and quarterback on the football team voices his hopefulness about the upcoming season.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. And I think we’ve got a lot of good players, and I’m excited to see how good we can be,” said Parks.
In light of these beliefs, joining the football team comes highly recommended by the players. Parks speaks on how they exhibit these values and welcome people to join.
“I just want to encourage anyone who even thinks about playing the sport to get out and play the sport. Maybe it’s not just football, but anything. It’s a great way to meet new people, and make new friends,” said Parks.
Ultimately, the football team at DHS has always been about teaching athletes how to be a good player, on and off the field. It is more important now than ever to keep up this long-standing tradition.
