It’s been quoted trillions of times that family isn’t always the people someone is related to: family can be made out of people that individuals make connections with. 

The football program has been known to have a bond as strong as a family and, to them, that is exactly what they are. 

“Being so close to them is like having a home away from home. Being together with them is like having a brother that has your back in everything,” junior Gabriel Henriques. 

Assistant coach Austin Wuthrich has an idea as to why their connection runs so deep.

“They have multiple meals throughout the week where they can kind of get together as a position group and hang out… and they spend a lot of time together — early morning doing zero hour and weights and all that. So they get to be  pretty tight groups by being around each other all the time and going through the same process,” Wuthrich said.

Panther football isn’t something that just starts in high school though. Stepping onto that green turf and suiting up representing Derby can start as young as first grade. From that, many people are hooked in and continue to play with the same group of guys until high school.

“I think it was either second or third grade (when I started Panther football),” junior Kade Sheldon said. 

Starting football at such a young age helps build chemistry because they would have known the same group of guys since they were kids.

“We’ve been able to build our bond and play together…. We’ve been running the same plays since we were little kids,” Sheldon said. 

Being back together with the same kids was like a full circle moment for Sheldon.

“As young kids we all looked up to the high schoolers and now we are finally here. And then how we were separated in middle school. That was kind of weird. Like in middle school we were rivals and now we are finally back. Now we are all together and we are unstoppable,” Sheldon said.