Editors’ Note: Over five seasons (2018-2023), the Greenhill football team amassed a 1-40 record, finishing consistently at the bottom of the Southwest Preparatory Conference. The team just finished the 2024 season with a 5-5 record, the team’s best finish since the 2017-2018 season when the team finished with a 6-4 record. Senior Cole Feldman has been a part of the team for the past four years and reflects on the ups and downs, from the long losing streak to the recent turnaround.
Going from a Greenhill football culture where we weren’t respected to a winning culture that has brought the community together on Friday nights was a change that came after much struggle.
For as long as I can remember, I have looked up to the football players at Greenhill. From my first day of pre-kindergarten to my last day of eighth grade, I couldn’t wait to play football for Greenhill at the varsity level.
I knew playing this sport was not going to be easy, but the reward of playing and winning games for the only school I’ve ever attended was something I dreamed about. Football is hard. From early-morning practices to constantly being sore, football takes a physical and mental toll on players.
Not winning a game my freshman year made these tolls feel even harder my first season.
During my freshman and sophomore years, our team was lacking in so many areas. When you lose a game 60-0, correcting a few mistakes isn’t going to change the overall outcome. For us to become a competitive football team, so much needed to change.
At the end of my sophomore year, our head football coach was fired. The decision left everyone with mixed emotions. You never want to see someone lose their job, but all the players knew that a new coach might bring back some excitement to the program.
Fast forward to the summer before my junior year. Under a new coach, KJ Williams, summer workouts looked and felt much different. We were learning plays and becoming better football players starting in June.
Under previous leadership, June used to be a time when Greenhill football players would just lift weights and run to get in better shape. Under Coach Williams, we did so much more, and the work we did changed everything.
It didn’t feel like we were just a group of guys working out together; we now had an identity.
Players and coaches believed that we could be a special team, but everyone on the outside was expecting the same old Greenhill football team. We were motivated to prove them wrong. From pre-game speeches to captains leading on the field, we would constantly mention that it was us against everyone else.
Game one of my junior year we proved our growth, beating Coram Deo Academy and recording our first win in years. Fans rushed the field after the game. It was a feeling I will never forget.
However, two weeks after our first win, my season came to an abrupt end. I was lining up for the kickoff after we had just scored a touchdown. I heard the whistle and started running down to the left corner of the field.
I got double-teamed, so I took on the block. I saw the ball go out of bounds. I let go of the defender and dropped my mouthguard out of my mouth.
I had just taken a deep breath when I felt a violent impact. It felt like I had been hit by a truck. I fell to the grass.
I remember lying on the ground, screaming and yelling as the trainers and doctors rushed over. As the pain increased, I started to lose feeling in my left leg. The pain was worse than anything I had ever felt.
At the hospital, I cheered on my team as I live-streamed the game on my phone while we waited for the results of a CT scan and other tests. The doctor’s diagnosis was that I had suffered a disc protrusion and spinal contusion.
I was out for the rest of the season and at least the start of the upcoming Greenhill basketball season.
Going from sky high to rock bottom in weeks, my appreciation for football only increased. I realized how much I cared about the game. Through my teammates’ hard work, we finished the season with two wins. What would be a disappointment for most schools was a big step in the right direction for Greenhill football.
Returning from an Injury
Last spring, I rejoined the team for drills with some limitations, and in August, I began my final season of Greenhill football.
From our first practice in August, I could tell this team was different than the past three years. We didn’t have everyone playing on both sides of the ball and we had more talent than many teams in our conference.
Game one was a statement for us. We played Trinity Christian Academy, which is a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 6A team. A back-and-forth battle ended with our attempt at a game winning field goal being blocked. We lost the game, but it proved to everyone that we could compete at a high level.
We won two non-conference games and racked up three conference wins along with two losses. We had one game left with a ticket to the Southwest Preparatory Conference championship game on the line.
My last game for Greenhill after my 15 years on this campus didn’t go the way I would have hoped, and our season ended. Although, it was amazing to even be in that position after all the years of losing and frustration.
Falling one game short of the big game was a pain I don’t want to feel again, but it was also a pain I never thought I would feel. The amount this team has changed in my four years in this program was my biggest takeaway.
From being a laughingstock program to beating the defending state champions was a journey filled with so many lessons. During my injury, I realized how special this game is.
My Greenhill football career is now over, but I have a group of guys – my former teammates – who are like family to me. I gained true appreciation for all of my coaches and teammates and learned to never take anything for granted.
I can’t really put into words how much the turnaround in the Greenhill football program means to me. I will always remember and cherish the countless hours of work it took to make this achievement possible.
