Friday night football games. Being out under the lights, surrounded by friends and teammates. Whether it’s the football player on the field running for the touchdown, or the cheerleader on the sidelines doing stunts and tucks, eyes and attention are constantly on the athletes.

Some of those people sitting in the stands are watching their role models play before them and wishing that one day it will be their faces under the lights and their names being shouted over the speakers.

One of those set of eyes that looks on as the Sequoits win game after game is sixth grader Joey Neumann.

Neumann attends Antioch Upper Grade School and has also been playing football for the Antioch Vikings Youth Football program for four years. Inspired by not only his hometown Sequoits, but also by collegiate and professional players, Neumann decided to take up football through this organization.

Although he is young, Neumann works just as hard as an athlete that is any other age. He spends hours upon hours bettering himself as a player and teammate.

“Including practice and playing, I spend about ten hours with the Antioch Vikings program a week, and four hours a week watching the other Vikings teams,” Neumann said. “A typical practice contains blocking each other, tackling each other, reviewing offensive and defensive plays, conditioning, and about once a week, scrimmaging another Vikings team.”

With all the dedication and hard work that Neumann puts into his football career, it seems as though it is enough to wear an early middle schooler out. However, Neumann already sees the benefits that the Vikings program has on his life, both as an athlete and personally.

“Athletically, I have learned better hand-eye coordination and have gained better strength and agility,” Neumann said. “Non-athletically, the Vikings program has taught me discipline, how to show respect and how to work well with other people, and I was taught that through the coaching staff.”

Neumann has learned at a young age valuable lessons such as respect and the importance of teamwork, as well as getting experience on the field. He knows that these lessons will become even more vital in the future, as it will prepare him for continuing with the Vikings program for the rest of his middle school career, and then one day, being a Sequoit football player.

Neumann knows that if he works hard enough, he will be able to be a Sequoit football player one day. One Vikings alumnus that followed this same course of action and is now playing on the Varsity football team is sophomore Zachary Grindley.

Much like Neumann did, as a young child, Grindley watched the Sequoit football team on Friday nights, imagining what it must feel like to play in front of his entire town. He decided to turn these dreams into reality when he began his football career with the Antioch Vikings program.

Grindley played for the Vikings for a total of five years, and has already begun to reap the benefits that Neumann has predicted the program will bring him as well. When Grindley came into football as a freshman, Vikings had placed him at an advantage compared to those who had not been involved with the program.

“My freshman year, I was one of the leaders of the team,” Grindley said. “I also had a bit of a head start, as I already knew some of the plays and techniques that [coaches] were teaching.”

Even though Grindley had only been in Vikings for five years, he could see a difference in those that had played Vikings and those who had not.

“We knew the smarts of the game as well as the physical part,” Grindley said. “Those who played Vikings were either one of the leaders or captains of the team, or helped others significantly.”

Not only was the Vikings program a great way for Grindley to get a jump start at freshman tryouts, but it has still given him the upper hand when it comes to skills.

“Playing with the Vikings for a while and having the Vikings coaches teach me how to get better at the game for several years has gotten me a Varsity spot as a sophomore and numerous colleges looking at me for football,” Grindley said. “I believe Vikings causes this because the program builds leadership on and off the field, and also teaches you how you can play to your best potential on the field.”

Grindley attributes much of his success thus far in high school to what he was taught in his younger days in Vikings. Also, while the program was a great way for Grindley to improve as a football player on the field, it also taught him important life lessons that he still finds applicable today when off the field.

“I learned that you should always respect people, whether they are your coach, teammate, opponent or any person,” Grindley said. “I also learned that you should take advice from people that know what they are doing, even if you disagree with it; they are just trying to make you better.”

Vikings is a great program for kids to start off in at a young age and grow accustomed to the sport and the traits that are expected of that athlete later on in life. But the Vikings program doesn’t just offer football; the program also includes cheerleading for young kids.

Eighth grader Katie Howe is a cheerleader for Vikings and has been involved for seven years. Although she initially joined the program because her older brother was involved in football through Vikings, Howe quickly learned to love the sport and the people within the program. She dedicates herself to the sport not only during practice, but outside of practice as well, and she wants to improve her own skills in order to excel in high school cheerleading.

“We work really hard every practice to perfect our skills and our competition routine,” Howe said. “Between practices, tumbling, games and competitions, I spend about five or six days a week with my team. Personally, I try to stretch and tumble as often as possible, even on days without practice.”

Spending so much time practicing in a week can be very difficult; however, Howe knows that her determination will pay off in the long run.

“I think cheering for the Vikings will eventually help me cheer in high school because of how much the program collaborates with the high school cheerleading program,” Howe said. “We have the opportunity to be coached by Coach Matt Dawes, who not only helps us as a team but helps us as individual athletes, which will later help us try out for the cheer team come tryouts.”

Much like Neumann, Howe learns not only athletic skills through Vikings, but she has been taught life lessons, like how to work hard to accomplish her goals and the importance of teamwork. Howe thinks of her team as a family, and appreciates the pride and spirit that those involved in Vikings have.

“You could walk around town and see tons of people wearing Vikings wear,” Howe said. “Even at away games or far away competitions, we all proudly wear our Antioch Vikings clothes for everyone to know who we are.”

This bond that is shared among Vikings players—cheerleaders, football players and parents alike—is one thing that former Vikings cheerleader and current Sequoits cheerleader, sophomore Graci Leineberg appreciated about the program.

“My favorite part of the program was how close knit it was,” Leineberg said. “All of the cheer teams were always very supportive of each other and were always cheering each other on during any type of performance. The program as a whole was very supportive; the football players supported the cheerleaders, just as the cheerleaders supported the football players.”

This family-like program that Leineberg was a part of in Vikings taught her to be a team player, and has helped her throughout her high school cheerleading experience. Because she was introduced to new people and grew close with them at a young age, Leineberg’s tryout experience was less nerve-wracking, as she had people that she was comfortable with surrounding her.

“I knew most of the freshmen and knew we were all going through the nerves together,” Leineberg said. “I am very thankful to have gone through my first high school tryout experience with people I had cheered with for many years and was very comfortable with.”

For Leineberg, the Vikings program not only put her at an advantage in terms of skills, but it also introduced her to new people that she was able to maintain and continue to build relationships with.

Beginning at the young age of five, children are able to join the Antioch Vikings Youth Football and Cheerleading program, and participate up until the age of 14. This program is a way for young athletes to get involved and improve their football or cheerleading skills. It also teaches kids discipline and respect, as they learn to be a team player and follow instructions given by coaches.

As both Grindley and Leineberg can attest to, the Vikings program puts athletes at an advantage when it comes time for high school sports tryouts. It properly trains and prepares kids for what they will experience during their four years of high school. Vikings is constantly producing more and more successful athletes that filter into Antioch Community High School. As these Vikings progress through the feeder program, aspiring to become Sequoits, all that is left for us to do is roll out the red carpet.