Merrick and Josie Smith excel for Pirates grid squads
Every fall, multitudes of high school parents head off to the local football stadium and take great pride every Friday night in cheering on their teenagers and the players heroics on the field.
For some of them, the pride is multiplied when their offspring are named team captains and recognized as leaders on the field.
For Morro Bay High School parents Tyler and Ashley Smith, the pride is enjoyed two-fold: They have not only a son, but also a daughter serving as team captains.
Senior Merrick Smith was named team captain this year for the Pirates, getting playing time on both offense (as a running back) and defense (as an inside linebacker).
Also, MBHS started up its girls' flag football team this season, and Tyler and Ashley's daughter (and Merrick's sister) Josie Smith has also emerged as a team captain for the girls team, as a sophomore, and also leads the offense as the Pirates' quarterback.
Meanwhile Dad Tyler coached the kids in youth and flag football, and Mom Ashley fills the role of the "team mom" for the girls' flag football, providing support to the program during the season.
"We are the big football family here in town," said Merrick after the team's game against Templeton on Sept. 11. "My dad's a big football fan, and my younger brothers are too. We love it. Josie and I would always go outside and throw the ball around along with our brothers, and play other sports, like basketball. We have always been competitive with our sports."
The Smiths also have a family football tradition: the number 21. Both Merrick and Josie sport that number for their respective teams, with the inspiration for that coming from Dad.
"Growing up in Sonoma, I had three brothers and we all played football," Tyler said. "And we all wore No. 21, so we kind of established that and everyone in our family wears it."
Merrick is in his second season at Morro Bay High after spending his first two years of school at Mission Prep and is honored to be named captain this year.
Being a captain is really a blessing," he said. "I've grown up with these boys my entire life and I just feel blessed that they picked me for this."
Merrick and the Pirates are off to a tough start, with an 0-5 record at press time, but he feels the team still has the chance to make its mark.
"We got a hard schedule, but we'll persevere," he said. "Once we get to [the Ocean] league I think we'll improve and get to the playoffs."
This is Merrick's senior season, and he's already got plans for after graduation.
"I'm looking to go to Cuesta College for about a year, and then enter the lineman trade, and do that for my career."
Josie, who previously played volleyball in the fall and also plays for the girls basketball team in the winter, got her start in flag football while she was in the third grade, first for the Friday Night Lights league in San Luis Obispo, and then her fourth-grade year was when Morro Bay's parks and rec started up what proved to be a successful flag football program for boys and girls.
"I coached her team for Friday Night Lights her first year, and then three more years, for Morro Bay parks and rec," Tyler said. "The first year in Morro Bay, we had the first all-girls team and we went undefeated. We made the playoffs every year and and that's the group that's now playing for the high school."
The girls team is off to a 4-7 start this year, which included a stiff non-league schedule and a couple of tournaments, but Josie is confident the Pirates can finish strong.
"I feel really good about the season," she said. "I love our team; we're all really close. We've been playing difficult teams, but we beat SLO 20-6 earlier and that's was a good win for us."
Josie has a couple more years at MBHS after this one, but she's already thinking about what she wants to do, and where she wants to go after graduation.
"I really want to go to college out of state, experience a new place and new experiences," she said. "I also want to play a sport in college, whether it's flag football or getting a basketball scholarship." Josie said she's thinking of studying to become a therapist, or be a flight attendant so she can travel.
But for now, Josie is concentrating on school and making the flag football program among the best in the area.
To that end, she's been getting help from her brother and a few of his teammates.
"Merrick helps me out a lot," she said. "Many times we'll go out and practice with some of the other boys. The quarterback help me out with mechanics like stance and throwing the perfect spiral."
Merrick said he's more than happy to help out his sibling.
"It's fun," he said. "We coach her how to throw, and we just love supporting her and the girls flag football team."
Tyler and Ashley are proud parents and have much more football to look forward to. Younger sons River and Monti are currently playing youth football, and in a few years, each could be wearing No. 21 for the Pirates. Stay tuned.