Moving schools can prove to be a difficult transition for most, especially during high school where it may be hard to make new friends or get involved with school activities. Despite transferring from Lincoln to Stagg his senior year, Elijah Menchaca didn’t feel that seclusion that many others sometimes feel when moving because of his teammates on the football team.

Playing for eight years now, Menchaca was inspired by Dolphins player LaMichael James to start playing football. He also craved the competition that’s affiliated with the sport.

While at Lincoln he played on their football team his sophomore and junior year. Menchaca wasn’t able to form a strong bond with his teammates as much there compared to Stagg, because those he played with at Lincoln weren’t always friends on and off the field. Also at times he felt he would even have to pick up the slack of other players. He also developed a better connection with the coaching staff at Stagg, claiming they offered him more support and feedback.

“It feels like Stagg’s more together.”

Those at Stagg welcomed him on the team with open arms, making him feel as if he wasn’t an outsider. They would encourage him during practices, assist him with working on his personal coverage by running hard routes, the coaches would give him chances to prove his skill.

“They all helped me catch up and made me work hard in practice which eventually paid off throughout league.”

It certainly did appear to pay off since in his proudest moment of the season, Menchaca was able to strip the football from the opposing team during Stagg’s senior night game. He plans to pursue playing football in college.

“It kind of felt like home from the beginning.”