For some kids, it’s a bike. Others, a drum set. But Jax Sharrock’s favorite Christmas present was the football helmet and shoulder pads he unwrapped in kindergarten. Jax spent every moment he wasn’t in school at Celina’s practices with his idols: his father, Josh, an assistant coach, and the varsity players.

He strapped on the pads, buckled the chinstrap and posed for his father. Now that he had the gear, could he stand on the sidelines during the games?

Josh wasn’t sure how it would go over. He’d been around plenty of kids who wouldn’t be cool with an elementary schooler running around them. Josh might not have been himself when he was a star player at Celina. But head coach Bill Elliott has been at Celina since Josh was in high school, and if he was ok with it, the players would be, too.

Now nine years old, Jax Sharrock is Celina’s youngest Bobcat.

“The players embraced it; it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Josh said. “They treat him like he’s on the team.”

Jax participates in everything from pregame warm-ups to the line-up for the Star Spangled Banner, all in full pads. His favorite part of the games is running on the field and grabbing the kickoff tee, but kicking the ball in the practice net comes in a close second. Jax is learning first-hand how varsity players prepare and act on their game day before his own one day. Lesson one: no distractions.

“They’re just really quiet, and I’ve got to be quiet, too, so they can lock in,” Jax said.

It takes many long hours from Josh and the other coaches at the fieldhouse to build Celina’s 12-0 team, but having his son around makes that time commitment easier on Josh.

“Being able to have him here with me and be a part of that kind of bridges the gap of me being away from home so much,” Josh said. 

Every Friday night is a family gathering. Josh’s nephews, senior defensive end Colten Place and sophomore running back Carter Place, are key contributors to the team. Colten wears No. 12 like Josh did in high school when he was a running back and linebacker on Celina’s 68-game win streak and three state championship teams from 1999-2002.

“He was a stud, to say the least,” Colten said. “He was starting as a freshman. I wanted to carry on the legacy.”

Jax wears the family’s No. 12 during his Saturday morning little league games, too. But he emulates his game after Celina running backs Logan Gutierrez and Harrison Williams, who’ve combined for over 1,700 yards and 26 touchdowns.

That ground game, combined with a defense that’s allowed over 10 points a game once in the last two months, makes Celina a favorite to win its first state championship since 2007. Since then, the town has boomed (the population has grown 200% in the last five years), but the football program has retained the culture Josh helped build and is now passing on to his nephews and son.

“It’s grown so much since I was in school, (but) it still has a small-town feel to it on Friday night,” Josh said. “You come to a game, and the stands are packed.”

And sometimes, when Jax runs to grab the kickoff tee, he pretends they’re all cheering for him.