Small Town, Big Heart: The Rise of Sutherlin High School Football

By Kaleel Grantham

The heart of Douglas County, Sutherlin, Oregon is home to more than just the quiet streets, and friendly faces. It's the proud base of Sutherlin High School's football team. Every Friday night, the stadium lights blaze across town as the Bulldogs take the field, rallying students, families, and alumni in a celebration of grit, teamwork, and community pride. In this small town, football isn't just a sport, it's a tradition, a passion, and a powerful reminder of what young athletes can achieve when they play for something bigger than themselves.

One of the most praised and important positions of football is the quarterback position, who has to lead the team.  He is also responsible for the win or the loss. Let’s ask Braxton Gary, a freshman quarterback for the Sutherlin Bulldogs. Braxton just started his high school football career, he gives Sutherlin a bright future. Braxton said, “it is fun to be around the team because everyone is a competitor and wants to get better.” He is currently improving and so is his team.

Braxton is currently the varsity’s back up quarterback, however, he did get to start in the game against Sutherlin’s rivals, Douglas High School. Braxton added that this was his favorite game of this season. “My favorite game was the Douglas game because we went to overtime, and we lost by one, but it was a battle.” Braxton said. Braxton’s favorite moment off the field this season was, “When we stopped at Toxic wings after a game to get food.” Braxton added.

One of the biggest accomplishments in high school football is becoming a starter, especially being a starting quarterback. In the interview, Braxton discussed how varsity football is different from Junior Varsity football. Braxton stated, “The game is way different in a varsity game, there is no room for error, the game is much faster than JV.” As some people will play football for fun. Some do it to be great and get recruited to play college football. It matters what type of grind you have, and how much you are willing to put into the sport? As Braxton got ready for this season, he stated what he did to get ready for the season. “I worked with Mr. Moyer on my QB skills, and lifted weights.”

As Braxton is preparing for the offseason, and next year, he is already setting his goals on how to get better. He stated some of the things he’s looking forward to next season, “I'm looking forward to playing more varsity and getting better in the offseason.” Braxton is also looking forward to the class of 2030 upcoming players, and he had some words to say, Braxton stated, “To bring the energy next year and to not slack.” As this is the final seconds of the game, make sure to check out my next article.