Chiefs’ success inspires local high school football players

By Jazmine Knight

As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for the Super Bowl, local high school players are excited to see their role models in action.

With the Chiefs Training Camp being in St. Joseph, multiple football players at Central High School have attended in years past. Players like Gabe Fields, a running back at Central, said visiting training camp allows him to see the level at which he could play.

Head football coach Sheldon Farrell said the camp is a learning experience for the team.

“Any time kids are around football, they’re going to pick up on something and learn from it,” Farrell said. “So the more exposure that I think that they get, the better off they’re going to be as players.”

“We’re kind of blessed to be in this area because the Chiefs have a great team. They are kind of what everybody is chasing,” Farrell continued.

Linebacker Kanon Wetlaufer said the Chiefs inspire his athletic career. When asked their favorite player, Fields and Wetlaufer had different answers, but both spoke to the character of Chiefs players.

“Patrick Mahomes because he’s a team player and he puts the team first,” Fields said.

For Wetlaufer, a new player in Kansas City stuck out.

“Tranquil, because he’s newer to the team and he fights hard the whole time,” Wetlaufer said.

Farrell said a lot of his players try to emulate their role models on the field.

“So the quarterbacks always try to be Patrick Mahomes,” Farrell said. “They’re always trying to throw behind-the-back passes that, you know, they have. They have fun with it. They know they do it the right times, I would say.”

But Fields and Wetlaufer said they learn more than just unique plays from the team.

“I learned that you got to be coachable and it counts even if on the training floor and still going be hard and just that everything’s going to happen for a reason,” Fields said.

Wetlaufer said it’s a balance of fun and competition.

“There’s times to take things serious, but also a time to have fun and joke around. But most of all winning. Winning is fun,” Wetlaufer said.