Moving on up

CEDAR RAPIDS - Many high school football fans know a varsity team is made up of mostly juniors and seniors. What some may not know is coaches often move sophomores up to play at the varsity level for the playoffs.

Max Johnson was one of 14 sophomore players who moved up to play varsity for Cedar Rapids Xavier during last fall's playoff run.

Johnson has been a starter for much of his football career, and has played football since first grade. However, it was not until the end of the sophomore practices that Johnson was given the opportunity to play varsity.

That opportunity opened many doors, including the chance to bond with varsity football players and coaches and take part in team traditions. As far as being intimated by the older team members, Johnson said that it was not a problem after the first day of outdoor practice.

In addition to dressing for the playoff games, Johnson also was one of the four sophomores who played in games this year. The Xavier crowd was what he remembers.

'Players really do feed off of the energy of the crowd,” he said. 'When you are playing in a sophomore game, the crowd gets pretty big at the end, but not everyone is watching the game. The varsity crowd, however, has everyone getting into the game.”

The experience has made Johnson excited for next year. His goals include the chance to start on offense and defense.

'The team goal is to win the state championship, it's the same every year,” he said.