Perry Wesley’s basement has posters taped to the wall across from an unmade bed. A couple of guitars and a drum set are scattered about the room. But Perry’s bedroom also has cameras, cables and microphones. It’s where Perry and Jacob “Bobby” Vaught, a pair of Somerset High School seniors, produce “The Season,” a Web-based series documenting their school’s football team.
“I was not real excited about the idea at first,” says Jumpers’ Coach Robbie Lucas. “But after I saw the first episode, I was proud of them. They have done a real good job.”
It’s good enough to get more than 7,000 hits on YouTube.
Principal Wesley Cornett has been at Somerset High School for only a few months, but he already embraces “The Season.”
“Kids can sometimes be kids, but they are not using their talents for anything other than positive. They are Briar Jumpers at heart. They promote our school, our community and our students,” says Wesley.
Carlton Jackson, senior running back and linebacker, has known Bobby and Perry for years. ”I think the series is a great thing, showing who we really are and the tradition of Somerset. They have done a great job,” Carlton says. “I am proud of my boys.”
On senior night, white flags trimmed in purple and gold fly from a fence in front of the bleachers. Each flag carries a photo of a senior being honored before the game — 13 football players and Perry and Bobby. Each senior football player’s number is eight feet tall on the fence opposite the field house. So are the initials JV and PW. When the football players and their parents walk out to be honored on the 50-yard line, Bobby and Perry and their parents walk out there, too.
“I guess we are doing something right,” Bobby says, “because we made a lot of people cry.”
When the senior football players gather for a group photo, one shouts, “Perry, Bobby get out here!” All 15 of them strike poses for the cameras.
When the game begins, Perry shoots video from the press box. Bobby and his camera are on the sidelines with the team. The Jumpers take the lead early and pull away in the second half. When the siren sounds and the Briar Jumpers seniors have won their final home game, the players change out of their pads and uniforms and head out of the locker room. Bobby and Perry are already working on “The Season’s” next episode.
