Junior John Laird warms up for their pre-season scrimmage against Magruder. “I enjoy warmups because it gets everyone hyped and ready to play,” Laird said. (Courtesy Johnny Abrams)

As the new school year begins, fall sports are thrown into action and this year, junior John Laird is back and ready to make a difference for WJ football.

At a young age, Laird was already hooked on the idea of playing football. He played a variety of sports but as he matured, football stood out to him.

“As a kid, I played basketball, baseball, swim and golf, but football’s responsibility on the field set it apart. If someone on the field messes up their job, the whole team fails. There is also a family aspect on the field that I enjoyed at a young age,” Laird said.

Laird started his high school football career at WJ and had a great season. Going into his sophomore year he was ready to come back better than ever. However, there was a bit of a twist. Laird moved schools to Crestview High School in Crestview, Florida. As soon as he got there, he knew he missed WJ and what came with it.

“I didn’t enjoy my school for many reasons, there wasn’t much to do there and overall I really wasn’t happy living there,” Laird said.

Although this was a setback, this experience was a crucial part of his development in the sport. His new coaching staff in Florida was not ideal. Laird felt as if he worked the hardest on the team but the coaching staff wouldn’t start him.

“I started playing football when I was around six but didn’t get good until I went to Florida. It made me so much better because the coaching staff was bad which motivated me to work harder and raised my skill level,” Laird said.

Although hard work is a given in order to succeed in a sport, Laird tries to go the extra mile.

“What makes John a good football player is his work ethic when he wants something really bad,” senior Sean Mpanga said.

In addition to Laird’s intense work ethic, he has a strong eye for success.

“John is a great football player because of his determination and tunnel vision to succeed,” junior Henri Serra said.

Laird is happy to be back on the WJ football team where he feels at home.

“People I did not think I would be friends with, I am super close with them because of football. Everyone is there for me on and off the field, it’s like brotherhood,” Laird said.

Senior Sean Mpganga is one of Laird’s teammates, but something sets their friendship apart from the rest.

“Me and John’s relationship is like a big brother and little brother friendship. We met through football and have been close since,” Mpanga said.

Coming back to WJ this year, Laird works hard to be a huge help for the Wildcats and sees them going far.

“We lost a lot of players because of eligibility, but I feel like we have the athletes to get the job done this year. I also see us doing well in playoffs,” Laird said.