As the school year begins, we often see many new faces in the hallway like junior Joel Friebe-Makinto who recently moved to Harrisonburg. He moved from Los Angeles because his parents are attending Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). Friebe-Makinto played football at his old school and joined our team after moving to Harrisonburg.

“We had a lot more players at my old school, the team was a lot bigger but I still enjoy playing at HHS,” Friebe-Makinto said.

Moving from Los Angeles to Harrisonburg is a big adjustment, not just academically but also when it comes to the city environment.

“The people here are really, really nice, there’s not as much to do here as there was where I used to live but everyone is nice and welcoming,” Friebe-Makinto said.

Friebe-Makinto is a running back and a linebacker. In his first game playing for HHS, he had 15 tackles.

“My biggest strengths are my speed and my teammates. They push me to be better. My biggest weakness is probably focus,” Friebe-Makinto said.

Joining the football team has given Friebe-Makinto an opportunity to meet many new people and make friends after moving to a new city.

“I’ve bonded with a lot of people on the team, everyone is really chill, but I’m probably closest with the other running backs,” Friebe-Makinto said

The football team has not won a game yet, but this has not stopped the spirits of the football team from staying high and continuing to work hard,

“We started the season off slow, but we are getting better every day.  It’s going good and we are going to continue to get better,” Friebe-Makinto said.