PITTSFIELD — Four years ago, when Jim Ziter took over a doormat Taconic Football program, he brought along a sizable crop of underclassmen on the varsity roster.
That original roster in Ziter’s first year didn’t include the name Devon Walker. He was a freshman in the stands watching the Braves Week 1 victory over St. Joseph. On the field were a bunch of his classmates and friends, guys he grew up playing football with.
Most high school football players look at halftime as a reprieve. They catch their breath and strategize for the second half. For Eric Lier, a senior at Auburn High School, halftime is just another showcase.
Memorizing a football playbook and a marching band’s halftime program would seem like a tall task for any student, but for Lier, that is a typical Friday night. When his teammates hit the locker room at intermission, he jogs across the field to join his Auburn High bandmates.