Posted: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:13 AM - 11,713 Readers

By: Ashley Slayton

Student athletes often find themselves juggling practice and games with tests and quizzes.

The Lobo football team has the added pressure of a state championship game.

The team plays Lake Travis on Saturday at Waco's Floyd Casey Stadium. The Lobos advanced to the state final for the second consecutive year after beating Denton Guyer on Saturday, 49-28.

The final exams, which are administered today through Friday, are comprehensive tests that count for a percentage of a student's final grade. Coaches called time out on practices Monday afternoon to give players a chance to attend after-school tutorials.

"We really encourage them to take care of their school work," said freshman football coach and world history teacher Chris Langford. "We wanted kids to have an opportunity to get that time in the classroom like they need, and we do our best to make sure they get it."

"I study when I can after practice and in between classes," senior Logan Washington said, adding that final exams come first. The Lobos linebacker is preparing for four exams this week in addition to the four scheduled practices.

Though it's a pressure-filled six days, the football players have had the advantage of "dead week," Langford said. Dead week is an intense study period before final exams, during which teachers do not introduce new curriculum. It's an opportunity for teachers to refresh students on half a year's worth of material.

Some student athletes, such as defensive lineman and senior Jeremiah Farley, are exempt from exams. To qualify for such exemptions, students must maintain at least an 80 grade-point average and have no more than three absences in each class.

"It's given me the chance to put all the school work aside and focus on football," Farley said.