Lifting his head up from the roster, the head coach of the Lowell football team, Danny Chan, gave forth a slight sigh. “This might be the worst year,” he said. It was not a pessimistic presumption. With 16 players on varsity, including two girls, and only 11 on frosh-soph, the football team is facing a shortage of players. In order to become an official team and play in the CIF San Francisco Section, each team needs 18 players.

The cause for this dilemma, according to Chan, is a combination of the NFL’s frequent discussion of concussions and a lack of courage from the Lowell student body. “The funny thing is that there are 2,700 kids here,” Chan said, “and yet we can’t get one percent to come out for football.” While he admitted that football is a “vigorous sport,” he still encouraged Lowell students to come out to the field and actually try it out. After all, Chan said, “High school football is a great opportunity to put on the helmet and shoulder pads.”

Despite seeing the unfilled positions on the team, Chan is optimistic about the season and the team’s performance. As their first game on September 14 is drawing closer, Chan encourages the student body to leave behind their concerns and join football. Looking afar to the field where his team was running in different formations, Chan said, “It is really up to the Lowell community to make this happen.”