Granite Falls football: 'Be there'

Football team manager Luis Torres, a junior at Granite Falls High School, watches the clock on his phone for the exact moment when he will blow the horn on the megaphone signaling the players and coaches to move on to the next drill during a Tuesday afternoon practice.

'B

e there."

For junior Luis Torres, it all started with the stats. In seventh grade, after trying out for the basketball team, Torres' coach convinced him to join the team as manager. He started keeping stats, filming games, and by the middle of his freshman year at Granite Falls High School, Torres was announcing games. He became the voice of the Tigers.

"Everybody knows me by my catchphrase -- 'Be There,'" says Torres, referring to the two words with which he ends his Friday video announcements at the high school. Torres' announcements crescendo into an outpouring of school spirit. He channels announcers like Keith Jackson, Paul Page, Gus Johnson and Bob Jenkins. Teachers call him the Howard Cosell of the school. But for Torres these are not just idle words.

Listening to him talk about his beloved Tigers, it's obvious what sincere passion he has for the home team, and he shows that devotion on the field. Torres started managing football this year, a new addition to an already busy schedule. Most days when school lets out at 2:05 p.m., Torres hits the books until 3:15 p.m. when he picks up his megaphone and heads out to the practice field.

Torres walks the sidelines after laying out footballs during practice.

Torres keeps time at practice. Coach Tracey Bechtholdt gives him a detailed schedule broken up into 15-, 10- and 5-minute increments and relies on Torres to keep it. Two minutes before the end of each session, Torres gives a two-minute warning with his megaphone. At the end of the session, Torres signals with the megaphone's horn. The team then moves on to the next drill. In the meantime, Torres keeps busy stocking the sidelines with footballs and keeping equipment organized. On Friday nights, Torres is responsible for filming the game.

"One of the most difficult things about being manager is balance," says Torres. In addition to manager duties, Torres serves as ASB historian and takes his studies very seriously. "Anything that's not a 93 or above is unacceptable to me," he says. That does not stop him from being out on the field every day at practice and at every game, though. Torres is part of the team.

So, tonight, as Torres would say: "The moment has finally come. Granite Falls and Coupeville are at it again. As they battle it out on the gridiron, 'BE THERE!'"

Torres organizes footballs during practice.

The series: Herald photographers Jennifer Buchanan, Annie Mulligan and Mark Mulligan take a look at Friday night life outside the chalk lines of the gridiron. Join them each week for a look at the people who make the Friday football experience possible without ever catching a pass or running the ball in for a touchdown. Have a good idea for Sidelines? Email Jennifer Buchanan at jbuchanan@heraldnet.com.