Foxfire Makes History and a Dream Come True On the Gridiron

The game of football is one that not many get to experience in life. Some schools, like Foxfire over in Zanesville did not even have a program until just recently. The team has come together to give high schoolers a chance at a sport that will impact their lives forever.

Something that at one point was thought to be nothing more than a dream has now become a reality at Foxfire schools in Zanesville. For the very first time in school history, the Phoenix will have its very own football program, which is something new not only for the school, but also many of the players.

Running back Sean Smith said, “Now, I had not played football before, but it was something I wanted to try for my last year.”

Most of them had not played the sport before at any level, high school or otherwise, and even those who had are glad that they are donning a helmet and pads once more.

“Well, Coach Lee had come up to me one day, actually, and he said, ‘Have you ever played football?” added running back Brayden O’Neill. “I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, we’re thinking about making a team, so if you want the chance, you should come out and give it a try. At first I was hesitant. I didn’t think I wanted to, but then now I’m glad I actually came out.”

The team was brought about by a coaching staff that has been around the game for quite some time, but have very little of that to bring this all together.

“I just think as a coach, you know, I’ve done a lot of things. You know, I’ve been to the state championship tournament, you know, two “final fours”, been to the playoffs nine times. You know, I’ve never started a program. You know, not a lot of coaches get to actually start a program from ground zero, and that’s what we’re able to do. Like I said, you know, Coach Lee and myself, we’ve coached together before in the past. So like, we know each other inside and out, and we were able to get this thing going.” said head coach Chad Grandstaff,

So in what takes most programs a year, if not more, to put together a football team, Foxfire has been able to do in just a matter of months.

“I’m happy to be part of it because I’ve never done anything like this before. So starting the team from scratch is something new. You know, when you’re going through life sometimes and you have something to look forward to, you get a little excited” added assistant coach and athletic director Jason Lee.

And as much as it means to bring together a team, it’s less about the sport and more about life.

Lee continued, “So it’s really about giving them the tools to be disciplined, accountable, creating toughness, understanding how this is bigger than you, and how that carries into life. There’s no better teacher than the game of football when it comes to taking on life.”

And of course, everything that has happened with the team has come with a little bit of help along the way.

“We’ve been very blessed to have a lot of support from the community, from the Straker Foundation and from BSN sports, people who really believe in what we’re doing. There’s been a lot of little details that we definitely have been trying to make sure that we’re taking care of.”

You know, that this historic moment and opportunity certainly isn’t lost on the Phoenix athletes. ““It is an honor to be on this team, and I just can’t wait to be part of the history” said lineman Dawson Thompson.

And that historic moment will come tomorrow, when the Phoenix host Southern Buckeye for the first game in school history at 7 p.m. As win or lose, Foxfire has achieved the goal of a lifetime.