It’s Friday night. The dull heat of the last days of summer fills the air as the sun begins to fade. Anticipation and excitement are felt throughout Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. Sophomore Frankie Garcia stands in the tunnel feeling nothing but pure nervousness. 

            Then it all happens at once.  The lights come on, the crowd roars and the sound of the band echoes throughout the stadium.  Garcia and his older teammates explode onto the field in one giant rush of adrenaline.  As the team prepared to start the 2009 season, Garcia prepared to start his varsity football career.

            Garcia, a 6’0”, 190-pound center was called up to play on the varsity football team after an injury to senior Trevor Cardenas.  After practicing with the varsity, it did not take him long to earn the starting job on the offensive line.  Garcia and the Raiders opened up their season by suffering a 56-0 thrashing from the Amarillo High Sandies, but despite the loss Garcia gained the experience of getting to start his first varsity game as a sophomore in front of the home crowd.

            “I worked very hard in the offseason and I really wanted a varsity spot,” Garcia said.  “When the opportunity came I made sure to take advantage of it.”

            When it came time to take the field for the first time of his career, Garcia said he was experiencing a wide range of emotions.

            “When I was standing in the tunnel there was excitement everywhere,” Garcia said.   “I was pumped and ready to go, but at the same time I was really nervous. Then once I got on the field it was less tense and things started to settle down.”

            Garcia’s first varsity game was not just a normal game. The Raiders faced cross-town rival Amarillo High, and Garcia himself was matched up on the line with James Castleman, who is considered to be one of the state’s best nose guards.

            “Everyone was telling me about how big and strong James Castleman was, but he actually turned out not be as good as I expected,” Garcia said.  “I was going 100 percent and I was definitely pleased with my individual performance in the game.”

            So while Garcia said he handled his matchup well, the Raiders as a team did not fare the same.  The Sandies returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back.

            “We just weren’t executing,” Garcia said.  “We had a lot of turnovers, mistakes on special teams and missed blocks and tackles. We came in a little bit unprepared, but now we know what to expect and I think we will continue to improve as the season goes on.”

            However, five games into the season the Raiders are still winless. At 0-5, the Raiders are off to their worst start of the decade.  After a bye week, the Raiders will start district play where Garcia said he hopes to turn things around.

            “It’s been the little things that are killing us,” Garcia said.  “We just need to work harder in practice to get things right, and if we do that then we will be ready by district.”

            While Garcia still has many games in front of him, it is unlikely that many will be more memorable than his first.

            “It was exciting not only getting to start in my first game on varsity, but also getting to play against a guy like James Castleman,” Garcia said. “In a way it was disappointing because of the loss, but overall it was completely amazing.”