Wolfpack Lettering
The "Wolf" and "Alpha Dog" awards are the ultimate awards a player can earn as a WolfPack football player. Because of our emphasis on building young men of character, these awards as well as all season ending team awards, including earning a varsity letter, will be based on the following cumulative points system. This point system covers multiple aspects and is earned over the course of the entire year and includes both in-season and off-season participation. The time period is defined as the end of one season to the end of the next. It begins with the off-season winter period, continues through the spring and summer off-season periods and finishes at the end of the next season. Of the possible points listed below, a player must earn a total of 30 points or more to be a varsity letter winner.
Because football is a numbers game and each and every player is vital to the success of our team, it is our goal to give each player who commits to contribute to the success of the varsity team every opportunity to earn a varsity letter. This system is a very holistic approach to developing the entire person focusing on character development in all areas. This system places the responsibility on the athletes and rewards commitment and performance in the entire program and the entire educational experience. This system makes earning a varsity letter possible for all dedicated student athletes. This system is clear to all athletes and parents and each will know exactly where they stand throughout the process.
As a coaching staff, we have the prerogative of awarding points to a player who is close to earning a letter. We believe it is always better to have many letter winners than too few. We will use our best discretion with players who are close but have clearly demonstrated commitment to our program and to holistically making responsible choices and decisions. We will pro-rate the letter points system for injured players who unfortunately could not complete the season but stayed committed to the team. We will also include players and individuals who contribute uniquely yet importantly to the team as possible letter winners. This includes team managers. We encourage any and all questions throughout the process to be directed to the coaching staff and are more than willing to discuss issues at any time. Communicating early about these issues is far superior to last minute questions so please do not hesitate to contact us.
WolfPack varsity football letter winning criteria:
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The athlete must appear in at least 2 varsity contests to become eligible for a varsity letter.
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The athlete must accumulate 30 points or more.
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The athlete must complete the entire season! The season is not complete until our final game whether that is our final regular season game or a playoff game.
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Injured players who do not continue to come to practice and be involved with the team each and every day, forego their right to earn a varsity letter. Those who do continue to come to practice each and every day and stay committed to the team will be treated just as if they were still healthy and playing and all of their accumulated points will be counted.
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Freshmen and Sophomores who meet the first two criteria but do not continue to practice during the playoffs forego their right to earn a varsity letter. Those who do continue to participate and help the varsity in their pursuit of a state championship will receive a substantial letter point bonus towards their varsity letter.
Exceptions:
Because a varsity football letter is what players are striving to earn, the most important criteria is that a player plays football at the ultimate or varsity level. Of course, we understand that certain circumstances like position depth and game situations may inhibit certain players from getting on the varsity field compared to others. In this case, a player's overall commitment to the program will be weighed more heavily with each individual situation being discussed and decided by the discretion of the coaching staff.
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The first level of commitment that will be considered will be a player who is asked and then commits to play at multiple levels, or play in 2 games each week whether that be varsity and JV, or JV and freshman. The second level of commitment that will be considered will be a player who has committed to virtually everything asked of him concerning the lettering points requirements and has earned well and beyond the required 30 points. Every 10 points beyond the required 30 will count as 1 varsity game appearance. For example, 40 points and 1 varsity game appearance will equal 50 points and no varsity game appearances. Criteria #1 will still be a large factor before this criteria is even considered however.
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The athlete must adhere to all team rules and regulations and have no major disciplinary infractions.
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The athlete must not have any major team disciplinary infractions that lead to his dismissal from the team.
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The athlete must not have any major school and/or classroom disciplinary infractions that tarnish our image, that lead to missed practices or that lead to dismissal from the team.
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The athlete must return all issued equipment in acceptable condition.
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The athlete must attend the end of the season awards banquet. Failure to attend may result in the loss of his varsity letter.