Boulder City High School football program will host its first eighth-grade signing day at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 3, in the lecture hall in hopes of increasing participation numbers for its freshman program.
In another attempt to revive the culture of the program since taking over, head coach Chris Morelli said he hopes this will become a new tradition for the Eagles as they appear to be heading in the right direction of building a sustaining, winning program.
“First and foremost, the success of our freshman program determines the success of all of our levels moving forward,” Morelli said. “We’re hoping to bring in a lot of new faces this year and continue to build the program from the ground up.”
Hoping to build upon this past season where the freshman team finished with a 6-1 record, Morelli said implementing the signing day for eighth-graders will have several advantages for both the program and incoming athletes.
“We want to make our incoming eighth-graders feel wanted first of all, like they’re a part of something,” Morelli said. “We want to meet with them, interact with both them and their parents. We want them to get a sense of what our program is about.”
Previously waiting to get their freshman until summer, Morelli said the signing day will help incoming eighth-graders not only interact with each other but also with junior varsity and varsity players, who Morelli hopes will serve as mentors.
“By getting everyone together early, we’ll get the opportunity to bond as a family,” Morelli said. “Not just the freshman team, but all levels. We want our incoming freshman players not only getting to know each other, but we want them to get to know our older players — to ask them questions, hopefully learn from them. We realize that this is the future of our program and we’re looking to establish success early.”
Each eighth-grade athlete that attends will get their photo taken signing their letter of intent to suit up for the freshman program.
An informational meeting will followed the event, detailing the Eagles’ summer schedule that includes weight training and fundraising. All prospective athletes looking to play this fall must attend the event.
Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.