KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s a new and improved football program at Central High School, and they want their community to know it.
“Our goal is to go undefeated, win a championship, but just show people who we are, not just the upstart team, but a strong team, a formidable team,” said Coltin Ferguson, Central quarterback.
Ferguson is entering his last year of high school and first year of football.
“I've watched football since I was five, but I've never actually played it," he said. "Maybe a little harder than I thought coming in, but it's gotten easier as you just come to practice more and more."
Although the players taking the field are rookies, their coach is not.
“I knew nothing about Central before I got here. I just knew I was a football coach,” said Michael Klyce, Central head coach.
Klyce says Central lost their football team last year due to falling enrollment.
According to Kansas City Public Schools, Central High School started the 2023 school year with 409 students, but the school is starting this year with more than 550.
“They're happy to have their own team again," Klyce said. "We've had between 20-25 kids to the practice, which is not bad at this time, and it's our first year."
Klyce says the number of jerseys on the sidelines doesn’t matter.
“I'm not sure about what they needed, but we only play with 11,” he said.
That number may sound small, but Klyce says it’s plenty. He’s more focused on the character of the players on the field than he is on the numbers on the board.
“When you're rebuilding and building from literally the ground up, doing the simple things correct, I think that's a win for us,” Klyce said.
Central High School’s first football game is Aug. 23. The team wants the community to come support them and the hard work they’ve put in.
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KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
