Playing football is a big deal in the United States, especially in Texas. At the high school level, weekly games often motivate the student body to band together in a display of spirit to support their team; however, the people working behind the scenes to support the players have a very crucial, yet often overlooked role when it comes to the team’s success. William Pantuso, 12, has been filming both practices and games for the Emerson High School football team for two years now. In acknowledgement of his hard work, the EHS coaches and administrators awarded him with the “Team Behind the Team” scholarship.

Students who are a part of football games but aren’t out on the field playing are eligible for this scholarship, including trainers, cheerleaders, drill team members, spirit crew and more. Despite the importance of their roles, their effort frequently goes unnoticed. WIth regard to this, the “Team Behind the Team” scholarship was created.

“It’s an opportunity to be recognized and gives people who don’t get as much recognition their time to shine,” Pantuso said.

Pantuso’s role is not an easy one. Filming for the practice and games is an important task as it helps the team review their plays and make improvements. Thus, Pantuso has to ensure he captures the right angles and the right players, a skill he had to learn on the fly.

“It was very much just the coaches kind of throwing me into it, and me learning for myself whether that be learning how to fly the drone … or how to get the plays just right,” Pantuso said.

On top of that, Pantuso has to put in time and effort to perfect the different recording methods for the different locations that Emerson’s football team plays.

“At practices we have a drone that we fly up, and it is one of the fancy ones so you get to record on the drone,” Pantuso said. “Then, at games we either have a high vantage point that I’m at using a regular video camera to film on a tripod, or we get this thing called a telescope which raises it up about 20 feet in the air.”
Despite these challenges, as well as the late night games and early morning practices, recording for the football team is an endeavor that Pantuso genuinely enjoys.

“I wanted to do something for the team because I like football, and I knew it would help them a lot,” Pantuso said.

Being involved in the team through his role in filming, Pantuso has made many great memories that he will cherish even after he graduates high school.

“After the games, I get to be on the field and … around all the players, Majestics, the cheerleaders,” Pantuso said. “I’ve met a lot of different people by filming.”

Pantuso’s consistent effort both in his filming and his everyday life has paid off. He is now committed to Midwestern State University, his dream school, and he will be majoring in finance with a minor in accounting.

“The work I put in is really getting recognized, and it made me think about filming the Midwestern State football team,” Pantuso said.