Editor’s note: Here is your chance to tell your story about your team, your school or your favorite player. If you’d like to join The Gazette’s growing list of high school contributors, contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com

By  Michael Reuter,  Monticello senior

MONTICELLO – Everyone always says to enjoy your senior year because it will be gone before you know it.

Every time I heard someone say it to me, I nodded and did not think a lot about it. It never really occurred to me exactly how fast it would go until football season was over.

It feels like just yesterday my teammates and I were in Des Moines going through drills to prepare for the upcoming season. Now it’s over, and so is football for me.

It is tough to think next year I won’t be going through the struggles of football with my classmates in the fall, but it also is a good feeling knowing that I have stuck with football and never gave up.

When I started playing youth football in 6th grade, I always looked up to the varsity players. Watching those guys play football on Friday nights was  the highlight of my week. All I could do was watch and picture a day when it was me out on the field, battling with my teammates.

When it was finally my turn to play on those Friday nights, I did my best to be a good role model for the younger kids. I did what it took for our team to win the game, but I also conducted myself in the best manner possible. I realized what we did on the field reflected on Monticello as a town.

Hopefully, I helped inspire the younger kids to stay out for football because I know it was some of the best times I have ever had.

Going on the field, in practice and in games, has brought me closer to my classmates then I ever could have imagined. We witnessed each other going through the same hardships and had to pull together to get through the tough times.

It turned a group of friends into a family.

Looking back, I have had a lot of great experiences with some great teammates and coaches. From 6th grade youth football all the way through varsity, I would not trade the experiences for anything.

I learned a lot, made some friends I probably wouldn’t have otherwise, and had a lot of fun.