6-0, that was the record of the Ipswich High School football team for the 2020 season. Sure, the season was shortened, but students know the struggles the Tigers have faced over the past five years. Many wonder why a school filled with skilled athletes produces such mediocre results.
While some think it could just be that the team is in rebuilding mode, the real story goes deeper: fewer students are playing football today, and that decline is reshaping the high school game.
Luke Wile, senior and captain of the Tigers, has been playing football since third grade. “I started because of my family; football runs in my blood, and I’ve always been interested in it,” he said. But even for a dedicated player like Luke, the decline in participation is hard to miss. “I’ve definitely noticed fewer kids playing since my freshman year,” he explained.
Safety concerns are a major factor. Reports show that high school football participation has been declining slowly since 2015 because of injuries and worries about conditions like CTE. When asked if he thinks recent injuries on the team affect students’ decisions to play football, Luke answered immediately, “I think that definitely plays a factor,” mentioning that several of his teammates had been sidelined due to ACL tears and other serious injuries in recent seasons. “There’s not much the team can do when someone gets hurt other than have the next man up mentally ready to go.”
We all know injuries are inevitable, but they can often be prevented . This is what strength coach Kenny Cousins believes. Kenny Cousins is on the wellness committee for Ipswich School District. Also, he is a former Division one athlete in the sport of Judo.
Kenny grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he participated in many sports, which included football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Mainly, he has been a strength and conditioning coach for most of his life. He was one of the strength coaches for the El Salvador Olympic Lifting Team.
Kenny got involved with the Ipswich youth all the way back in 2020 when he started working at the YMCA in Ipswich, where he met kids such as Luke Wile. Kenny taught many of our young athletes, teaching them how to prevent injuries through strength training.
Kenny noted that learning to block and tackle is one of the main skills every football player needs. “They need to be taught to block and tackle…it is a prerequisite such as strength training…”.
There have been countless grants written by the boosters at Ipswich football for new facilities, such as a new weight room. “The equipment is subpar and way out dated…” says Kenny Cousins.
Now begs the question: is it that our football team is just going through the process of a rebuild like many other small towns or is it that the way our athletes don’t have the appropriate equipment to thrive?
