By Jana Copeland

Leader staff

“If I could, I would go back and do it all again,” Colton Whisenhunt said.

Football in most towns is something for the students to enjoy in their free time.

In Nashville, it is everything.

To the seniors of the 2012 Scrapper football season, it is something that will be with them for the rest of their lives.

Many memories have been made over the years during football, between the long and hard practices, linemen nights, and the Friday night football games.

“My favorite memory was when Coach Baker forgot the fight song this year!” Jacobi Lampkin said.

LaVonte Thomas said that the play making and celebrating with his teammates would have to be his favorite memories.

“My favorite memory would have to be the opportunity I had to be able to play with such great group of boys,” Austin Lovelis said.

“My favorite memory would have to be the night we played Malvern. The night we came together as a team and finally realized that it takes all 63 players to win a game, not just the starting 11,” says Montorey Johnson.

Tesean Green said, “I have many memories but the biggest memory is Aug. 13, when we came closer as a team. We practiced for four hours, running and working on how to be a team. If one of us messed up, we all messed up. If someone didn’t think they could do something, we pushed him to believe he could. Basically, we learned how to push ourselves, as well as each other to be the best we could be. Also, it taught us to keep a positive attitude, even when we were tired.”

Juan Quintero said, “My favorite football memory is just the Friday nights in general. Nothing compares next to the lights beaming on you, fans cheering you on, and your brothers next to you, ready to go to war!”

Being a Scrapper means more than just putting on the uniform and playing a game.

“Being a Scrapper is all about having character. Doing what’s right when no one is looking. Having the heart to not give up when it gets tough, and the desire to hit somebody!” Quintero said.

Donyell King said that being a Scrapper means to “always give it your all and never give up when times get hard.”

“Being a Scrapper means fighting as hard as you can every game for the team to win,” Lovelis said.

Steven Snell said that being a Scrapper means everything to him. You not only get to represent your school, you are representing your whole town as well.

“Being a Scrapper, to me, means that you were special. What I mean by that is everyone wanted what we had. I mean when I put on my jersey, I felt like I couldn’t be touched. Like the saying, ‘Keeping up with the Joneses,’ we are the Joneses and everybody is trying to keep up with us,” Ja-Karee Gaines had to say about what being a Scrapper means to him.

“Being a Scrapper means heart, pride, tradition, and the will to let nothing come between you and your goal,” Jalen Whitmore said.

“Being a Scrapper means being different. It means giving your all when no one else does. It means blood, sweat, and tears. It means sacrifice,” Jacolby Crow said.

The senior boys had much to say about what they felt being a Scrapper meant to them, but they were basically the same. It means everything.

“The best part of football was showing my skills off against teams and being able to help my team win,” Gaines said.

“I would like to thank all of the fans for supporting us throughout the season. You don’t know how much it meant to us all to know that our fans were there, dressed in orange and black, cheering us on. I would also like to thank all of the coaches for the hard work and dedication that they put in to the football program here to make it successful,” Tesean Green said.

“Being a Scrapper team captain and making all state was the best thing that could have happened to me. I feel very blessed and thankful to be a part of Scrapper Nation!” Crow said.

Johnson said that one day he will never forget is the day they lost the playoff game against Prairie Grove. The day they all noticed how close they had become to the point where they were not only a team, they were brothers. “The night tears were shed, hearts were broken, but inside we just knew that life goes on.”

Football is a tradition of excellence in Nashville, the players said. The Scrappers have been very blessed to be so successful in the past.

They agreed that the Scrappers haven’t only been successful in the playing of games, but the bond that the boys make with each other, as well as with the coaches, fans, and with the community.

Scrapper football… A brotherhood that cannot be broken, memories that will never be forgotten, and character that only being a Scrapper can build.