The Piedmont Highlander

The Student News Site of Piedmont High School

The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

For students, fantasy meets reality

For+students%2C+fantasy+meets+reality

Just a week into the new school year as students were settling in to their new classes, some were gearing up for an intense 4 month period known as Fantasy Football.

The nation-wide online phenomenon has spread to PHS and students are enthusiastic about their teams and chances at victory.

“Not only is it a good opportunity to connect with friends but also to prove that I’m better at fake football than them,” said six year Fantasy veteran senior Jake Pacheco.

Sophomore Andrew Parker, who played for the first time last year on nfl.com, plays for fun, but is also motivated by his league’s reward.

“The winner gets money while the loser has to wear goggles around school for an entire day,” Parker said.

While Pacheco’s league has neither rewards for winning nor consequences for losing, he says his league plays for other reasons.

“We play for the spirit of the game and, of course, bragging rights,” Pacheco said.

Parker and Pacheco each went for who they believed to give their team the best chance at victory, and Pacheco looks at stats and other factors to help determine which player will give him the greatest advantage and leg up when it comes to draft time.

“In preparation, I did extensive research into the offensive line of each player’s team to predict their fantasy point output. The offensive line is a huge factor into how a player does because [a good O-Line] allows a player to reach their maximum value,” Pacheco said.

Parker, on the other hand, is influenced by who experts believe to be breakout candidates.

“I watch NFL Redzone every weekend to see how my players performed and who they believe to be sleeper picks for the upcoming week,” Parker said.

Senior Seb Mueller, who in his last year at the school but is playing for the first time, believes he’s doing surprisingly well.

“I’ve never played fantasy football before [but] my friend Joey invited me to play with him, [and] I ended up choosing four quarterbacks, and in that dismay I ended up succeeding,” Mueller said.

Pacheco, for one, is glad he took the chance way back in seventh grade to join a league.

“Matt Rogers came up with the idea of starting a league. I thought it sounded kind of lame but I rolled the dice and it turned out to be a great experience with deep bonding of friendship,” Pacheco said.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Piedmont Highlander

Your donation will support the student journalists of Piedmont High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Piedmont Highlander

Comments (0)

All The Piedmont Highlander Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *