Kaleb Chappell was one of the few sophomores on Fowlerville last year and now in his junior season is more excited than ever to start this junior season. “I’ve been waiting for the season to start since last year. I’ve been working over the offseason since our last game to try to make our team better,” Chappell said.
Chappell learned a lot last year, and he was nervous at first as he was one of only three sophomores on the Gladiators previous season along with Hunter Knaggs and Jack Lampman. He said as time went on, he started to build relationships with his older teammates. “At first it was kind of hard to get used to the team because I hadn’t played with any of them except the other sophomores that moved up. Over the summer, I started to feel more like part of the team. I wanted to help the team out as much as I could,” Chappell stated.
Chappell plays Wide Receiver and Safety for the Glads and says it’s tough playing both sides of the ball. However, he has made sure he is ready for the challenge this season. “It’s hard to make sure that you know all of the plays and different types of coverages. I try helping out teammates as much as I can. I try to help them understand the concepts on both sides of the ball. I’ve been making sure that I’m conditioned as best as I can be to make sure I ‘don’t get tired late in games. I think I’m ready for it,” Chappell commented.
Football is a mental game, and Chappell always makes sure he has time to get his mind right before game time. “I go over my plays and coverages the day before a game and on game day. I ‘don’t talk a lot the day of games and only listen to music throughout the day until we start warming up,” Chappell mentioned.
Chappell says that football has taught him a lot over time and has helped him become a better person on and off the field. “Football has helped me mature a lot and taught me self discipline, along with how to work together with my teammates. It’s helped me improve my character, and I love how much of a blue-collar sport it is. It shows what you put in, ‘you’ll get out,” Chappell said.
Fowlerville opens the season on the Road Against Charlotte.