HAMILTON, Ohio — After Badin High School's state championship runner-up season, all eyes are on the prize for 2022.
That quest continues Friday evening as Badin (1-0) looks to stay undefeated against the St. Francis DeSales Stallions in the Rams' home opener, which is the OHSAA Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1 at 7 p.m.
What You Need To Know
- After making it to the state championship last year, the Badin football team is hoping to come home with some hardware this year
- Jackson Martin, a senior, his younger brother Roscoe, a sophomore, and their cousin Ryan Hogan, a senior, are all defensive ends on the team
- The boys say playing with family makes the game even more special
One thing that makes the team special is the community and family aspect. Not just feeling like a family, but generations of a family making this school and football a tradition.
On this practice field behind Badin High School is where a lot of memories are made, and not just among teammates, but family, too.
For senior defensive end and captain Jackson Martin, the family aspect is just a part of the game.
“When I was kid, I hated going to practices alone and stuff so having my cousin at practices and games with me has been great because it’s like having a best friend there to play with you all the time," Jackson said.
Now, Martin's younger brother Roscoe, a sophomore, and their cousin Ryan Hogan, a senior, are also defensive ends on the team.
“A little brother competition!” Roscoe said.
“He’s the main reason I play football," Hogan said of his cousin Jackson. "He was my role model. Coming into high school, I didn’t know if I was going to play and he was playing so I was like alright I might as well play too.”
The feeling is mutual among the boys.
“I love him," Roscoe said of his older brother Jackson. "He’s a great mentor."
But the family legacy doesn’t stop here. Two more in the family graduated two years ago and there are two more in grade school.
Growing up together made the boys ready for the days on the field.
“A lot of rough-housing growing up," Roscoe said. "We made each other tougher.”
For Roscoe, seeing so many go through the school and the football program has made it an easy transition.
“It’s always felt like a second home to me," Roscoe said. "Growing up here, watching my brothers play sports before I came here and it just feels like family.”
Family makes all the difference for this crew.
“I feel like if I hadn’t had them, then I would not be where I’m at today," Hogan said. "And I feel like since my little cousins are here now too, I can show them the way my older cousins and brothers have shown me.”
Jackson said he hopes to be a role model for his brother.
“Just kind of pushing him to higher standards himself," he said. "Like I want him to be a great player. I need to push him to have that same drive that we have to push harder and make a name for himself here.”
Roscoe knows after this season, he will have to keep the family legacy alive.
“I need to make sure that I’m ready to step up and fill right where he left off," Roscoe said. "Trying to be just as good if not better than him. And just making sure I do everything that I can to help this team succeed.”