It’s bigger than a number

Often, athletes pick a number to identify themselves throughout their chosen sport. For senior quarterback Kennedy Smith, this was not the case.  

At five years old Smith decided to be the number 8 when he started playing football because: “someone else took number 7 when I was younger so I had to decide between number 8 and 9 and I figured 8 was closer than 7,” Smith laughed.

As a junior, Smith experienced tragedy when his grandpa Ned Smith “Paka” passed away.

“My grandpa was number 24 throughout high school and college. He played at Catholic Central in high school, and then at Saint Joe’s in college. We didn’t play the same position, he was a running back his entire career,” Smith said. Smith decided to switch his number from 8 to 24 to dedicate his last high school football year to his grandfather.   

“Last November, you could see signs of cancer [in my grandpa], but his death was unexpected,” Smith said.

The 2017 Blackout game brought up some serious emotions from Smith.

“What really choked me up the most was when all the players gave my grandfather a hug, I really didn’t see that coming,” Smith said.

To Smith, the game of football is bigger than just a game, or a jersey, or a number placed on your back.

That’s the moral of Northview football. If one brother is going through a struggle of lifetime we’ll be right by your side through thick and thin.