The football gap High School quarterback Steven Lopez, top, spots teammate Joel Gonzales as they work out in the school's weight room on Wednesday. Lopez says teams from schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families often are overtooked. " Kids that don't have as much money feel like they don't mean as much, they're not part of something big like or WeS' ?. We don't get looked at as much because of where we're at and who we are," he says. [RICARDO B. BRAlZIEll/AMERICAN-STATESMANJ Why high-poverty schools lose more football games Winning rate By Julie Chang Wealthy 1 [email protected] schools win 60% If Joe Frank Martinez, more games so head football coach at South Large Central Texas high 40 Austin's High School, schools with the highest 30 could knock off a few items student poverty rates won from his wish list, he would a smaller percentage of 20 football between have new helmets for his games 10 players, replace the decades­ 2008 and 2018 than schools old equipment in the weight with wealthier students. 0 ------------ room and feed his freshmen 0%- 33.3%- 66.7%- more than turkey and cheese Source: Game resullS retrieved from 33.3% 66.6% 100% Texashighschoolloolballhistory.com. Student poverty rate sandwiches the coaches assemble before games. GATEHOUSE MEDIA Equipment and catered meals don't necessarily win his boys, he'd have a better one game the year before. games, Martinez says, but he shot at winning games. Last "It's almost not even fair. knows if he had a few more year, the varsity team didn't dollars to better train and feed win any games. The team won SeeGAP, AJ8 Club for the older players. GAP Last year, a local nonprofit, Positive Coaching Alliance, from Page Al started providing catered sandwiches for the varsity team. You're going to hnve all these The Austin district pro­ lack ofresources, and on top vides schools with justenough ofthat you want me to win? A money to pay for the basics, lot of times we're just trying including jerseys, cleats, to survive," Martinez said. padding, hehnets and school ..,... High School, where buses to travel to away games . 79'1o of students are from Coaches use fundraisers or low-income families, isn't their own money to pay for theonly Central Texas school extraexpenses. with a high student pov­ "I've maxed out credit cards erty rate struggling to win before," Martinez said. "If football games. AnAmerican­ I don't get the money back, Statesman analysis of the then so be it. It's something football records of41 Class that we've got to do. Other 5A and Class 6A high schools coaches around here and in Central Texas over the other programs, whether it's pastdecade found a correla­ band, danceand cheerleading, tion betweenstudent poverty are doing the same tiling." and performance on thefoot­ The school doesn't have ball field: The wealthier the il<e ·.iv school district officials used bond moneyto upgrade much of t he equipment i n t he high a football booster club, so student body, the better the school's weight room this year. [RICARDO B. BRAZZIEll/AMERJCAN-STATfSMANJ Martinez helps coordinate football team. three fundraisers a year, At schools with low student Tale oftwo football teams within the studentbody. which typically bring in poverty rates, football play­ Darrell 1n High School, with a poverty rate of79%, won 35% ofits varsity Crayton, who retired $1,000 to $2,000 each. ers eat team meals at Italian from Eastside Memorial High April, alumni helped raise football games between 2008 and 2018. L ..u High Schoo~ with restaurants, attend private School, a high-poverty Class $4,000 through a golf tour­ a povertyrate of 10%, won 91% of itsfootball games over thesame camps that their parents pay period oftime. 4A school, but occasionally nament. Whatever Martinez for and train at facilities com­ helps out with the Reagan and his players raise is used to parable to those in collegiate High School football team, buy snacks and meals during programs. .., j said having separate cham­ away games for players, fixing The disparity in resources pionships for urban schools, equipment or paying for - and outcomes on the field most of which have dispro­ training that coaches must - has long been noted by portionately large numbers complete to maintain certifi­ close followers ofhigh school of low-income students, is cation, among other expenses. football. worth considering. Martinez is hoping he can Some states - Iowa, "I saw a lot of kids that raise between $10,000 to Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon didn't believe in themselves $15,000 to remodel the weight and Wash ington - have and sometimes they felt they room, which decades ago was adopted or are consider­ 2;1~~1~ ✓ ~ accepted defeat. I think that the campus' automotive shop. ing adopting policies aimed the kids wanted to (win), and Now, it contains 14-year-old at grouping high-poverty n they do try hard, but things incline benches with tat­ schools into similar divi- Source: maps4news.com/,oHERE GATEHOUSE MEDIA have just not been available tered fabric covers and over sions to give those schools to them," Crayton said. 20-year-old squat racks with more opportunities to win. subsidized lunches), won high poverty schools face: chipped wooden platforms. Officials with the University 59%of their varsity football • Studentsdon't arrive on 'Not partof "Thereare certain schools Interscholastic League, which games between 2008 and campus with as much ath ­ something big' that have resources that we governs public school sports 2018. Duringthat same time, letic experience because their don't. We have a school in in Texas, haven't consid­ large Central Texas high parents can't afford expensive Within 20 minutes, ourdistrict that has a turf field ered such policies, but some schools with the highest rates sports camps or leagues. Martinez and fellow Tra'h and lights because their par­ coaches of high-poverty ofpoverty (at leasttwo-thirds • Students can't commit coaches have slapped together ents were able to pay for it. If schools in the Austin area say ofstudents receiving federally as much time to athletics 72 sandwiches, methodically I were at the school, I would it's an idea worth exploring. subsidized lunches) won36% because they are working jobs placing two slices of turkey take advantage of that ... but The average percentage of of their games. or caring for siblings. and a single piece of Kraft that's a major disadvantage low-income students atlarge Coachesat low-income high • Team meals are often cheese in between H-E-B for the other campuses," Texas high schools that have schools told the Statesman simple and equipment worn extra-thin white bread. Martinez said. won state football champi­ that they believe their play­ out because those are paid While players at other Because high-poverty onships since 1994 is 23%, ers possess the same degree forandmaintained by limited schools dine at local res­ scboolsaren'twinningasmany according to the Statesman of naturaJ talent as those at school budgets and in some taurants, - il football games, Steven Lopez, "" ~• analysis. Thelargest Central higher income schools, but cases by coaches. At wealth­ players for years have eaten varsity quarterback, said the Texas high schools with the because of poverty-related ier schools, booster clubs help sandwiches before games - players do not receive as much lowest rates ofstudent pov­ challenges, their players have cover those expenses. handmade ones for the ofthe public's attention. erty (one-third or fewer of a harder time realizing their • Coaches have a harder freshmen and 6-foot subs students receiving federally potential. Among the barriers time recruiting players from from Walmart or Sam's SceGAP, J\19 GAP l'rom Page Al8 • • "Kids that don't have os much money feel like they don't mean as much, they're • not partofsomething big like -1k.. u.....a or Wesfl.&lre. We don't get looked ot as much because of where we're at and who we are," snid Lopez, 18. Communitysupport Nineteen miles away atL.,_, , High School, where 10% of students are low­ income, amenities are newer and on a much bigger scale thanks inpart to the wealthier community. - 1· T i has won 91% ofgames, includ­ ing five state championships, between2008 and2018. The parent-run booster club organizes a before-game event in front of the high school called the Cav Zone where students and families can dine ot food trucks, listen to a DJ and play games. The club also pays for the coaches' Joe Frank Martinez, head football coach at South Austin's meals on Thursdays and wealthier schools. (RICARDO 8. BHAZZIEU./AMERICAN·STAT6MANI Saturdays, charter buses for away games and replace hel­ mets every four years instead of the standard 10 years. Because a football p layer last year said it'd be cool to run through a fog machine, the club found a machine to put underneath the inflated tunnel football players run through when they're intro­ duced at games. Each of the booster club's three major fundraisers gen­ erate on average more than $50,000, said Gabe Ellisor, president of the booster club, The community also bas Thousands of people turn out for Ue J:ro•• High Sch.ool's backed bond referendums homecoming game on Sept. 11. [JOHN GIITIERREZ/fOR STATESMAN) Joe Frank Martinez, head football coach at 11 .~ High School, says over the last several years that he would like to upgrade the school's weight room, which has old have helped pay for an indoor parents who volunteer for program.