Football on hold for Texans

Monday marked the first day of high school football practices, not only in Maine but in the Lone Star State, too.

Some scholarship-level football players from Texas are delaying the start of their preseason regimens, however, in their quest for a Senior League World Series baseball championship.

Most members of the Rose Capital East American/National Little League all-star team from Tyler, Texas, also play football for one of the four high schools that feed into the program, which won the Texas East championship and then the U.S. Southwest regional title to earn its first trip to the SLWS.

“We’ve got nine football players and they’re all missing two-a-days and it’s not a good thing right now back home,” said Tyler, Texas, manager Bobby Rushing after his team’s 10-1 victory over Vilnius, Lithuania on Monday. “But these kids have earned this right. Their high school coaches have supported them in a way that was positive. Hopefully it will be a win-win situation for the kids.”

That baseball-football contingent includes third baseman Brady Attaway, who last fall started at quarterback as a sophomore for Whitehouse High School, a 4A program – 5A is the highest level – in East Texas.

Three of his Senior League teammates, catcher Seth Cashion, outfielder Heath Mayo and pitcher-infielder R.B. Bell, also are high school football teammates.

“We had to think about it before we even came here,” said Attaway of the decision to participate in the SLWS rather than preseason football. “It was a big decision, especially being the quarterback.”

Ultimately their decision came down to a comparison of the opportunities.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance,” said Attaway.