By Moses Leos III

For a fleeting moment Jan. 29, Hays High offensive lineman Logan Pool felt a slight sense of fear pass through his mind. 

Pool, who started in the Team USA Under-19 International Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, was preparing to square off against a 6’7”, 300-pound opponent. But all of that fear quickly subsided the second he got into his stance. 

“I always have those pregame jitters …when I put my hand in the dirt and get lined up, the jitters go away,” Pool said. “I allowed the fear to get ahold of me, but then I crouched in my stance and said, ‘let’s go.’” 

For Pool, participating for Team USA is the next step toward what he hopes could be a successful college football career and possible shot at the NFL. 

Pool’s path toward playing for Team USA began in the 7th grade. At the time, Pool, along with future Rebel teammates Braeden Kent and Kendall Stovall, participated in a Team USA regional camp. 

The camps, which take place all over the country, draw 8,000 to 10,000 students who are taught by high school and collegiate coaches. The coaches take the players through position, team and individual drills, and afterward give students an evaluation. 

While his friends felt the camps were “silly,” Pool, who said he was shown to be a top candidate, enjoyed them. 

From then on, he tried to participate in Team USA camps whenever he could. 

“I like to do stuff related to football,” Pool said. “I can’t get enough of it.” 

By his sophomore year of high school, Pool received an opportunity to play for Team USA in the International Bowl. A previous mission trip commitment kept him from going. 

During his senior year Pool was given another chance to play with Team USA – an opportunity he didn’t let pass. 

He prepared for the event with the help of his Rebel teammates. Since the Rebels’ season ended in early November, he had gone weeks without live contact. He enlisted the help of teammates to tackle him “as hard as they could” the week before going up to camp. 

“It sounds stupid, but you know, when you haven’t been in the method of hitting every day, it’s a different feeling,” he said. 

It helped prepare him for the team, which is made up of players with “Division I, full ride talent,” according to Pool, who played on a team with players a year older than he. 

On his first day at the camp Pool had to go up against a player committed to play at Colorado State. 

With the knowledge and skills taught by the Hays coaching staff, Pool’s talents allowed him to climb the ladder, eventually gaining a spot as a starting left tackle and was named as a team captain. 

And, finally, it was game day. He and his fellow teammates were bussed within the labyrinth of tunnels at AT&T Stadium to their locker room. 

“Being able to look out of the window at that Goliath of a stadium, it was a surreal feeling,” Pool said. 

His excitement increased as Pool was the first person to be introduced from Team USA onto the field. Despite Team USA’s loss to Team Canada in the International Bowl, Pool said the offensive line “played hard and did a great job.” 

Getting the chance to go up against Division I talent allowed him to prove himself. 

“You can have all of the scholarships in the world, but when someone beats you and they’re going to a D3 school, it says something,” Pool said. “Beating someone with Division I talent gave me a check of where I was and where I need to go.” 

The University of Mary-Hardin Baylor is Pool’s next stop. He chose the school because of its competitiveness, and because he “felt at home when I visited.” 

His goals are to start his freshman year, become an all-Heartland Conference player, then “if it’s in the cards,” see an NFL career come to fruition. 

For Pool, proving his doubters wrong is the focus. He was told at 6-foot, 4-and-a-half inches that he wasn’t tall enough to receive Division I offers. 

“That chip on my shoulder is something I do have,” he said. “When people say I can’t do something, the first thing I want to do is to do it.” 

Getting “stronger and quicker and better” are attributes he hopes to improve to reach the next level. 

“People said it’s impossible (to reach the NFL),” Pool said. “But God does crazy things for people who are faithful in him.”