Ultimately the Jr Mustang football program is for boys that plan to go to Marquette High school and therefore live in the Rockwood boundary for Marquette.   Families that have completed the Limited Choice application offered by Rockwood School District are also eligible to play for the Jr Mustang  Football program as are Rockwood Voluntary Student Transfer Program students.  It is inconsistent with our program guidelines for players to play for Jr Mustangs and then attend any other high school. Players outside the Rockwood school district are not eligible and there is no exception process for this.

Many boys participate in other sports/activities during football. It is common for boys to play fall baseball or light-weight soccer during football. Some participate in Boy Scouts as well. Due to the time commitment of football, it can be difficult to have another sport, but it is manageable. It is not feasible to participate in a select soccer during football due to the number of practices required for both sports. Also, some boys have played hockey during football season, but this is difficult.  It is acceptable to play other sports, but if the player misses practice and does not know the plays, it will significantly limit the positions the boy can play and likely their playing time. It is not fair to the others who commit to football, attend all the practices and know the plays to have the team’s success limited by players who don’t share the same commitment to this team. Still, having said this, some boys are quick studies and grasp the concepts with minimal reps.  So the litmus test is simply whether the boy can play his position effectively given the amount of practice attended, which is left to the sole discretion of the head coach.

Equipment will be handed out at Public Storage in Ellisville (near the home depot).  Players must be present in order to be fitted properly. Equipment handout is coordinated by each grade level head coach.

A security deposit ($250) is facilitated by our registration process.  Your credit card will be kept on file.  Accordingly, no equipment can be handed out in advance of registration.   As long as equipment is returned at the end of the season in good condition, the card will not be charged.  However, failure to return equipment in a timely fashion after the season is completed will result in a $250 charge to your credit card.

The following equipment is provided TO EACH PLAYER:

• Helmet* with chin strap
• Shoulder pads
• Game jersey
• One mouthpiece (additional mouthpieces may be purchased for $2.00 or player can provide his own). Check with your orthodontist if you wear braces

Players are responsible for providing the following equipment:

• Practice jerseys
• Football cleats and socks
• Water bottle
• Integrated pants with pads (same for game and practice)(navy blue)

*Do not attempt to inflate the helmet air bladders, as the helmets require a special needle. A bicycle needle will DESTROY the air bladder and it will have to be replaced.  All helmet adjustments should/will be done at practice by the coaching staff.

It is the player’s responsibility to notify a coach of any missing or broken equipment immediately to his coach.

Note: DO NOT wear game jersey to practice. We do encourage the boys to wear their game jerseys to school on the Fridays before a game to promote school spirit and to all the Varsity games on Friday night home games

Wearing football gear in the heat is a strain on players and there is a buildup process called acclimatization during which the players progressively add more pads building up to full gear.  

Day 1:  Helmet, mouth guard, cleats

Day 2:  Helmet , mouth guard, cleats

Day 3:  Helmet & Should Pads, mouth guard, cleats

Day 4:  Full Pads

This process is to help the boys adjust to the heat with the pads.  An important complimentary aspect is for the players to to stay hydrated.  Hydration starts at least two hours prior to practice/game wherein the boys should drink 8-10 oz of water every 30 minutes.  The boys should also bring a LARGE JUG of water to events.  A 16-20 oz water bottle is not nearly enough.  Coaches always have extra water at practice, but this is for backup only

Location
We practice at 3 different locations

• Selvidge Middle School Football Field (Primary Location)
• Crestview Middle School Stadium Field (Fall Back when Selvidge not available)
• Marquette High School Practice Field (warm-up for games)

Duration:
Practices are 2 hours from 6pm-8pm

Frequency:

• Pre-Season, before school starts, practice is four nights per week as the boys are learning everything from fundamentals to plays
• Early regular season, practices are 3 nights per wee
• Late regular season, practice can drop to 2 nights per week when the boys know the plays and have more experience

Stay tuned for which nights but typically not Friday so the boys can watch the high school games.  There may be some Saturday  morning practices, until the game schedule begins. Practice is normally no more than 2 hours long and will begin the season following the Acclimatization protocol described above. 

Players should arrive approximately 15 minutes early to every practice and be ready to begin promptly on time. 

Organized Team Activities (OTAs) will start July 29 for two weeks in full pads following acclimatization.  Regular season practices will begin August 5th.  Games will start early September. 

MHS Dead Period occurs during OTAs.  We recognize that families may have students in both middle school and high school and that families may choose to go on vacation during this time.  This is totally acceptable.  Any families that miss OTAs are excused and will simply join their teammates when they return.  Particularly for new players, the OTA time period is valuable and accordingly, the program decided to have that time available for those who are able to attend while not penalizing those that do not attend.

****Parents/carpools should arrive promptly for player pick-up at the end of practice. Please be considerate to our coaches' own time commitments. 

Home games will be played at Marquette High School. Away games will be played throughout the West County area. Games are scheduled for Saturday afternoons. Nearly all games will be on turf fields.  The games will last approximately 2 hours. Players must arrive one hour prior to game time for team warm-up. See the website for game schedules and field locations.

Note:  Playing time is not guaranteed on the 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams.  “B” games are scheduled during the season to allow opportunities for those that do not normally start on Saturday morning games.  This is for teams where the registered players exceed 30 per team.  The league allows having more than one team at a grade level if the team size gets large enough. These “B” games are an integral part of our program. These games allow the kids more on the field experience and involvement as an important part of entire game. We strive to improve all of our players and find this method to be more effective than merely getting in a few select plays a game

Remember that football is a sport where discipline, hard work, competition, and sportsmanship are encouraged and required.   Our focus is on building team and school pride. It is the coaches’ intent that each player will be given every opportunity to learn the fundamentals and improve himself as a player and a person. It is also understood that each player will treat his teammates and coaches with respect. Your cooperation and support to help us attain these goals is needed and greatly appreciated.

Team parents are responsible for providing their own end of season party, if desired. If you would like to volunteer to help out with the end of season party, contact your parent rep. 

Football pictures will be taken early in the season and you will be given the opportunity to purchase individual and/or team photos.

Order forms will also be handed out early in the season for those that wish to order Jr. Mustang apparel.

BLUE/GREEN game at Marquette high school typically the first or second Saturday of the season.  This allows the players to participate with the high school players in a pre-season scrimmage/BBQ held at MHS.  More details will follow.