Tanner Boyzuick, junior ex-rover, sustained multiple injuries and due to his parent’s decision was taken off the football team this season. He is now rumored to be ‘Argyle’s Biggest Fan’.

“The energy in the stands vs the game is completely different,” Boyzuick said. “There is nothing like friday night lights in Texas, especially when all we do is play football. However, the stands are much better this year, which makes the situation a little bit more easy to deal with.”

Although Boyzuick found happiness cheering on the current team, his parent’s decision to remove him after receiving a concussion in 2013 against Wilmer Huggins affected the whole family.

“That concussion was the injury my parents decided I couldn’t play anymore,” he said. “I didn’t have any say in that decision and would change it in a heart beat if I could. It put a huge strain on my parents and our relationship. I was furious.”

The consequences of the decision were difficult for Boyzuick to handle, but he could turn to friends like junior Preston List for support.

“It was really tough,” List said. “If you know Tanner, he’s that guy that everyone enjoys being around. He’s fun, hilarious and a great friend. When he wasn’t able to play football, for two months he didn’t want to do anything. I’d ask him to hang out and he would just sit there and not say very much.”

Boyzuick realized that his relationships were changing from not being considered an official teammate.

“The coaches let me go on the sidelines,” he said, “So I’m part of the team still but not nearly as intimately as I was before. I’m more disconnected from the guys now.”

Being on the football team has given many members a sense of family. With the hours each player must contribute, they consider every win a ‘team win’.

“It’s different from anything else I have ever done,” Boyzuick said. “It teaches you so much about hard work, determination, teamwork, and family. Last year our motto was brotherhood because we were a family out on that field. You don’t get that tight knit family feeling from anything else.”

Boyzuick now cheers on his teammates every chance he has. In pep rallies and games, Boyzuick can be seen at the front of the crowd yelling his Argyle Spirit.

“The pep rallies have been pretty uneventful in the past,” Boyzuick said. “I know that when you have the crowd cheering behind you it can motivate anyone to play their best. There is no feeling like it, so us fans decided it was time to change.”

As much as Boyzuick enjoys leading the cheers from the stands, his time away from football hasn’t diminished his passion for the sport. Seeing his teammates win games without him leaves a ‘bitter-sweet taste’.

“If it was up to him he’d be playing right now,” List said. “But one more concussion and he’s done with sports forever. It’s really tough for him, and for all of us.“

There are a few positive aspects of the situation that Boyzuick kept in mind, like having more time to focus on other sports.

“I can finally play fall baseball!” Boyzuick said. “It will help me a lot since baseball is my main sport, and I want to play it in college.”

Through all the injuries and difficult trials, Boyzuick’s personal beliefs have not changed.

“My outlook has stayed the same,” he said. “I believe that everything happens for a reason. What I was doing to my body wasn’t good playing that sport. The fact I’m taken out may give me future opportunities I might not have had. But nothing can replace that feeling on Friday in Texas playing football. That’s something you can’t describe.”