The football team honored senior Emily Tower as football sweetheart at the football game Oct. 14. This year’s football sweetheart lineup consisted of three trainers and one XFX member: Emily Brister, Emily Towers, Kewe Stanford and Sarah Mansell. Towers was crowned football sweetheart. 

“The football sweetheart is a public recognition for them or whoever is nominated, and it’s a thank you for being with us,” athletic trainer Jan Brister said. “It’s a little more quaint, more personal.”

The naming of football sweetheart occurs towards the beginning of district play in the season.

“She’s been a student trainer for about four years and is good at it,” Brister said. “She trains for football and boys basketball. Emily also plans on going into the medical field and is ranked number four in her class.”

Towers took initiative for the team to earn being crowned football sweetheart. Brister said that the nominees deserve the recognition because they are with the football players in all types of weather for at least three days a week at team practices, and they also accompany the team for Thursday and Friday games.

“There’s a lot to go into [football games] behind the scenes, that’s the thing about being student trainers there’s so much behind the scenes,” Brister said. “People see us at games on the sidelines, but they don’t see all the coolers that get packed and the gatorade that gets made and the ankles that get wrapped. We haul tons of equipment as well.” 

The voting for football sweetheart is left up to the varsity football players who have been interacting with the trainers over the years the most.

“The football players pick up to four girls that they feel like are assisting the most,” senior football player Carter Johnson said. “She has helped me many times getting wrapped before games and practice. I voted for her because I see her help around a lot.”