- November 5, 2024
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Matanzas football players Marcaus Cooper and Loubens Polinice have plenty of friends, but perhaps their best friend? Water. Yes, the drink.
Cooper and Polinice spend quite a bit of time with their teammates, but when other players are in different classes or home at night, the two Matanzas seniors are still with their liquid buddy, getting physically prepared for the day ahead, and, eventually, Friday night’s game.
That’s because they are two players who play both offense and defense for a Matanzas football program that has seen a decrease in participants over the last few years.
“I joke — and sometimes the players joke — but we call ourselves the Dirty 30,” Matanzas coach Jeff Nettles said Monday, referring to the number of varsity players on the roster. “Everybody has a role beside their starting position. Coaches, too. No one just coaches a position. Everyone has another role that they have to help in our success.”
Quarterback Jeremiah Wilson, for example, is on the "hands team," which means he’s out there on the field if the opposing team attempts an onside kick.
It’s not ideal, Nettles said. And it’s tough to get players excited about playing football if the team isn’t seeing wins on the field.
“No one wants to come out here in a year-round sport — where we’re running year-round, we’re lifting year-round, we’re doing everything year-round to get better — and lose,” he said. “No one wants to do that. And there’s been a lot of losing here. It’s hard for them to justify going out and doing all that work, and I don’t blame them.”
But it’s part of the deal, and Nettles said his players are slowly buying in.
“The biggest thing is the players are extremely invested,” he said. “And when we start winning, those numbers will come up.”
Cooper and Polinice are just two of the 30 players who do believe in Nettles. And they are two of six players who are currently playing both offense and defense. As a coach, six is the most players Nettles has ever had go both ways, he said.
The best-case scenario, Nettles said, is to have one or two special players who primarily play defense but get a few touches on offense to try and make a difference.
Of the six players going both ways, three are linemen. That’s even worse.
“There’s more wear and tear,” Nettles said. “Every play, there’s impact. Every play is a violent play.”
Polinice is primarily an offensive lineman, but his speed allows him to be effective on the defensive line, too. Still, his body gets beat up double what it would normally endure throughout a game.
Polinice and Cooper are playing between 100 and 110 plays a game between offense and defense. On average, there are about 120 to 130 total plays in a game.
“I think lineman is the hardest part because you’re always hitting,” Polinice said Monday before practice. “It takes a lot of energy out, and you feel really hot when you’re on the sidelines. That’s why I’m always pouring water on my face; always have a towel next to me.”
For Cooper, who plays wide receiver and safety, it’s more about cardio. There are fewer contact plays throughout the game compared to a lineman, but Cooper practically plays every single play on offense and defense in a game. The only break he gets is on special teams — and even then, he might be involved, depending on the play package that’s called.
Cooper said because he’s always on the field, he pays more attention to his nutrition throughout the day and week.
In the game against FPC in Week 1, Cooper said, he cramped up a lot. Since, he’s focused on his eating and hydration, which helps him play a full 48 minutes. He also said playing safety helps him in his primary position of wide receiver.
“I can definitely break on the ball a lot better,” Cooper said. “As far as playing safety, I can read the routes better.”
Nettles said he expects to get a few players back over the coming weeks that should provide immediate relief for players like Cooper and Polinice. But even when help arrives, Matanzas will continue to be a team with fewer players on the roster than many other teams.
But that’s not so bad most of the time, Cooper said.
“You have less people to think about, so it keeps you closer,” he said. “You can’t just get upset at someone and expect someone else to come in. You just have to get it right.”
Matanzas hosts Titusville 7 p.m. Friday for its Homecoming game.
