Football Career

I started playing football in the third grade, against my mother's better judgement.  My brother had been able to talk her into letting me play saying, "don't worry mom, let him play now, while he's young; his bones' are still 'soft' and can repair themselves." At this point in my life I was a complete introvert.  I had nearly no friends because I had just moved to a new school.  I met a lot of my future classmates through the KFL (Kingwood Football League).  When executing drills my coach kept saying, "C'mon Brandon! You can do better than that...EXPLODE!!!." Well that made me break out of my shell completely.  Instead of just bumping against my practice partner I would knock them on their butts.  I went from being tied for second place in terms of the weakest to the strongest on the team. 

This picture is showing me on the 'Mustangs' is when I was in the fifth grade.  I skipped playing football in the fourth grade for some reason I have long forgotten. My brother and I used to both get in a three-point stance and charge at one another, sort of like rams.  Now, my brother was 4 years older than I was, extremely athletic and strong, yet I could overtake him and out power him.  It was at this time in my life that I realized that I was the strongest and fastest(even thought it may not look like it) person on my football team; I feared no one.  Naturally, after that season was done with and I moved into the sixth grade. I was met with a whole new pool of athletically talented individuals.

 In the sixth grade, I was a nerd.  I would hang out with the nerdy smart types.  I seemed to have broken my introverted tendencies and would chat it up with anyone and everyone.  I knew everyone's name in the whole school with around 900 people.  Football was really challenging.  I played as a lineman for both offense and defense, as well as being on special teams(punt returning, kick offs). That means I had no breaks I was constantly winded; talk about great exercise!

 (I'm #3 on the bottom row three places to the right)

This picture is of me in the 9th grade, my last year of participating in football.  I had transferred to a private school in the eighth grade.  I went from 11-man football down to 7-man football.  This style of football was created to accommodate small towns in Texas who could not field a full football teams.  This was honestly the most fun I have had in my entire life.  I lost all of my baby fat, converted to complete muscle and was extremely popular at my school.  Since my body had changed so much I was able to just demolish and outrun anyone on the field.  I remember being matched against people 70-100 lbs heavier than me and knocking them flat on their back.  I had coined the nickname "might mouse" from my piers.  It was a truly wonderful and fun time in my life that I will never forget.