One of the wonderful attributes of The Benjamin School is that the school is not afraid of trying something new. For instance, this year, students are assigned numbers for dismissal instead of the teachers calling out names. Another new thing that the school tried on Thursday, September 18, was that the sixth-grade football team and the seventh and eighth–grade football team played together. Eighth grader and co-captain of the seventh and eighth grade team Josh Greene said before the game, “Even though we usually play separately, it’s great to have one time that we can come together because, afterall, we are one family and there’s no reason we can’t be one team together.”

It was the second game for both teams and the home opener for the seventh and eighth graders. The two teams played together because Pine Crest Boca was unable to field a sixth-grade team this year, so their seventh and eighth grade squad played the two Benjamin teams. The main reason TBS combined the teams was to give the sixth graders more experience after their 32-0 loss to Pine Crest Fort Lauderdale. “[Playing with the seventh and eighth graders] should make us better when we play other sixth-grade teams and help our tackling and defense,” said sixth grader Grey Waxman.

The seventh and eighth graders started the game, and it did not take long for them to get ahead. On their first drive, it took them only two plays to find the endzone, a long pass from Sebastian Weinberg to Ben Lubarsky and a touchdown run by JoJo LaBovick. Throughout the first three quarters, the Bucs’ seventh and eighth graders dominated on offense and defense, building an impressive 31-0 lead.

The seventh and eighth graders played a well-rounded game on all sides of the ball. The defensive linemen recorded numerous sacks, including several by Ben Lubarsky and Ruben Perez. The offensive line lead a strong rushing attack that led to touchdowns by Jack Keiser and JoJo LaBovick. The passing game was also strong. Quarterback Sebastian Weinberg had passing touchdowns to receivers Blake Chami and Joe Mariani. Instead of having the game go on, the score was reset and the sixth graders were put in to play at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They played for the remainder of the game against the Panthers’ seventh and eighth graders and battled them to a 0-0 tie, an improvement from last game.

“It was a good game to have everyone together to let the sixth grade see what to expect next year as seventh and eighth graders,” said Head Coach Gregory Keller. “It was also good for the seventh and eighth graders to get to know the sixth graders, so that the seventh and eighth graders are more than a face on campus. I think the future for Benjamin middle school football is good” he added.

This was an experiment putting all three grades in a single football game, but it turned out to be a success. The seventh and eighth graders got the win, and the sixth graders got the practice. Like Greene said, Benjamin is one big family.