As senior quarterback Grant Hajicek lines up under center for the 7v7 drill, he calls out a play, signaling with his hands to communicate to the rest of the offense. The defensive players, who are distinguished by the red skull caps on their golden helmets, call out their own plays, hoping to spoil the offense’s scheme.
Hajicek takes the snap, moving back to set up a passing play. He dances from foot to foot, looking for an open receiver, until he sees senior wide receiver Brett Mooney wide open. Hajicek steps forward and releases the ball in a perfect spiral, hitting Mooney right in the numbers for a touchdown.
Behind the scenes, senior manager Emily Stelzer is in the press box catching all of the action on an iPad.
“[Managing] is a big job,” Head Football Coach Van Vanatta said. “These guys and girls do a lot of stuff for us that I don’t have to take care of… It’s always tough because they catch a lot of heat sometimes when things don’t get done, and then we need them to do [another task]. They’re running around constantly.”
Every practice, a manager records on an iPad utilizing the app Hudl, which allows coaches and players to see practice or game film. Managers must sound a megaphone to display the end of each period, five minute intervals for drills, and control the scoreboard to keep track of them.
On game days the workload intensifies because managers are more involved than during practices in setting up the field. Tasks include setting up all of the field markers, goal post pads and ticket tables. In addition, the game must be videoed from behind the end zone with a camera and on top of the press box with a camera and an iPad for a sideline view. The iPad is used to record in real time to make in-game adjustments.
If managers didn’t provide tape, coaches couldn’t reanalyze plays accurately to specifically pinpoint areas of adjustment as both sight and memory are easily lost in a high-intensity game. On top of that, quality film requires proper training and knowledge.
Stelzer, who has managed the team all four of her high school years, is dedicated to catching the action. Stelzer’s managing experience goes back to seventh grade at Jefferson Middle School, when her brother played on the school’s football team. Stelzer said she started the job because she had the free time and her friend, who was already a manager, didn’t want to be alone. Despite her brother quitting football after one season, Stelzer continued to manage. She credits sticking it through the first few years because she enjoyed traveling to different schools and getting out of class. It wasn’t until later that she found a deeper reason to persist.
“I realized I wanted to go into broadcasting [some time] during my sophomore or junior year,” Stelzer said. “I really enjoyed the filming and technology. So I thought if I stuck around with football it would [help] determine if I wanted to major in college for [broadcasting].”
What intrigues Stelzer about broadcasting is the fun technology it involves and its spontaneity, as it brings new challenges every game. She thrives in unforeseen circumstances, such as the time the end zone camera stopped working five minutes before the game started. Stelzer had to bring the camera down to replug everything back together. Although she still missed filming part of the game, she was quick-witted and it ended up working out.
It is these ordeals that have made Stelzer such a dependable resource. As a result, she pursues a leadership role guiding the greener managers on taping, setting up equipment and checking to see if everything is going as planned for follow through. This year she is mentoring more people than ever before. From her freshman to junior year, there were only two managers and a fluctuating amount of injured players to help out. Now, with 10 managers, Stelzer’s work is a lot less strenuous. Even so, the added help comes with its own challenges.
“[The surplus of managers] is more efficient with getting all of the other jobs covered,” Stelzer said. “But because there’s so many extra [managers], some people don’t want to come to games or practices… So it’s kind of difficult to keep everybody together.”
Because of her recurring involvement with the team, Stelzer stands out from the other managers. Senior offensive and defensive linemen Luke Simon, who has had Stelzer as a manager every year at RBHS, noticed her hard work during the past four years.
“Emily is one of the more familiar faces of the managers. She’s always around the team, helping out coaches and doing anything that needs to be done,” Simon said. “She’s a pretty selfless person for giving up some of her free time in order to help all of us.”
Moreover, Simon pointed out Stelzer’s ability to capture the game on tape.
“Emily does a great job handling the game film,” Simon said. “She’s focused on the game at all times and makes sure the camera is pointed in the right direction, and starts or stops the camera for each play.”
Simon said it is Stelzer’s devotion to the team that stands out above all, giving props to her for her unfading commitment.
“There hasn’t been a road game, no matter how far away it is, that Emily hasn’t been to,” Simon said. “You can always count on her to be helping out the team whether it’s in Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City or wherever.”
Stelzer may have a remarkable amount of devotion, but the friendly atmosphere and cohesion of the team is just as astounding.
“About two years ago when I first got my dog, I brought him to practice. I was still filming, and at the time I was the only manager at practice that day,” Stelzer said. “And one of the coaches came up and started walking my dog around the field, so I could actually finish whatever I needed to film. Most of the players were asking what [the dog’s] name was [and] most players did pet him.”
Although there was an influx of managers this season, Vanatta said there would always be room for more, demonstrating the significance of the role on the team.
“If anybody’s interested in being a manager, please come talk to me. We’re always looking for managers because we always need help,” Vanatta said. “They’re very vital with any sport because they do a lot of things that we don’t have time to do as coaches.”
The demand for quality managers isn’t just at RBHS. Just like athletes, managers can advance to the next level.
“There [are] scholarships out there for team managers… and if that’s something managers are interested in down the road [it is a possibility],” Vanatta said. “As a matter of fact, I was asked [by the Quincy University football staff] if I had anyone who was graduating that would be interested in being a video person.”
One might think that because the managers aren’t on the roster, they aren’t a member of the team, but just because they don’t score touchdowns or make big plays on the field, doesn’t mean they don’t have a role on the team and pitch in just as much as everyone else, Simon said.
“If [managers] didn’t do their tasks, that means that the coaches or players would have to do them… So we’re lucky we have them so we can just focus on playing football,” Simon sad. “We wouldn’t be able to function as well without [managers], and they spend about as much time as we do [on the field]. So they are definitely a part of the team.”
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