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High school football hopefuls look to impress coaches and earn a roster spot before the season starts.
 West High freshman K.J. Wright reaches for the pass during wide receiver drills Tuesday with the team. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
By mid-week, coaches had to select their final rosters. In football, the teams are limited by the amount of equipment available or a realistic expectation of how many players can be on a team and still get playing time.
West High freshman coach Chris Meyers said that freshman year is when boys find out if football will be their sport, though some will try out again next year.
"A lot of kids are trying to figure out where they fit socially," he said. "They find out that football is more of a discipline and you actually have to work."
He started with about 100 players when workouts began in June. Many didn’t wait for the coaches’ selections.
"When they figure out what it takes to be a football player — working in the weight room and conditioning in the summer — they realize it’s not for them," he said. He had 70 players when school started last week, and he planned to cut that back to 54.
"We try to carry as many as we can, because we’ll lose 10 to 12 to grades," he said.
Tracy High varsity head coach Mark Stroup said that by the time players get to the varsity level, they have experience on the field. His roster includes 40 to 45 players, nearly all of whom got their start with the freshman team.
"At the freshman level, we want to have as many try out as possible," Stroup said.
 Tracy High football hopefuls run conditioning laps in practice. Bob Brownne/Tracy
"If we had enough money for a junior varsity team, we could have had two teams easy," he said.
At Tracy High on Tuesday afternoon, there were plenty of cheers and high-fives as freshman players found their names on the final roster. Before posting the list freshman head coach Jay Fishburn was thinking about the players who would walk away disappointed.
"If you don’t make the team, do something else," he told the players at the end of Tuesday’s practice, adding that they could still go out for any of the other fall sports such as cross country, soccer or water polo. "Don’t just give up and not do anything."
Fishburn said he had to narrow down his team to 55 players from the 70 who showed up last week for conditioning and again Monday and Tuesday for practice. He said the final cut depends largely on a player’s skills, but also on what the team needs on the field.
"It’s hard, because we’re going to cut kids who in other years would have made the team," he said.
This year’s group of freshmen includes plenty of guys who could play offensive or defensive line, but the players who can pass, catch and run around the defense are in short supply.
He added that some players have been through youth programs or summer camps, but he still figures about half of the players will be new to the game. Even after he makes the final cut, he will have to see which players can move well with all of the pads, and which ones will keep coming back after the full body slams at the heart of the game.
"Everyone looks good without pads," he said. "With pads, it’s a different story."
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