After a team wins, the spotlight usually focuses on the players and coaches, but behind every successful game, there are people quiet behind the scenes making things happen. Team managers and sports photographers do more than just show up, they help shape the team’s success even when their work goes unnoticed.

Sophomore, Brandon Avila-Hernandez, has been managing at Morgan for two years, starting in his freshman year. He got involved when head girls volleyball coach, Jessica Lynch, was looking for a manager. He decided to give it a try after he and a few friends had gone to some games previously.

The season was going well until one practice early in the season. Avila-Hernandez questioned his belonging to the team after he was told to stop distracting a player on the team during a passing drill. The next day, Lynch pulled him aside during his math class after he seemed disappointed and unlike himself. Lynch was able to talk to him and clear the negativity from his head and she assured him that he helps keep the team together. Avila-Hernandez was able to build from this mistake as a manager and found ways to engage in practice without distracting the players.

The next season, Spanish teacher and previous JV volleyball coach, Laura Luther, recommended him and his sister, Natalie Avila-Hernandez, to try out managing girls’ basketball, too. Luther had seen his dedication to the volleyball team as a manager, and since then he has managed both teams.

From helping set up the gym, to running the scoreboard, or tracking stats, Avila-Hernandez is constantly present with the team. He even finds drill and plays to suggest for the team. “People think being a manager is just showing up, but it’s way more. I have to be there every day, and I want the best for the team.”

What keeps him coming back isn’t the recognition, but the connection with the girls. Avila-Hernandez said, “They’re always happy to see me, and sometimes they ask me to talk to the coaches because they respect me, and know I’ll speak up.”

This same feeling of connection resonates with Kimberly Tovar, a freshman photographer for Morgan sports, who shares her story through a lens. Tovar is still new to photography and figuring things out. She became involved through her previous interests with the camera in digital imaging class at Morgan during her first semester. Her first time taking photos was at the Morgan Fencing State Championship match. This was posted to her instagram and was her first attempt at editing. She says, “It’s pretty fun, I get to use my creativity and just do it my own way.”

Being a sports photographer allows players to view themselves from a different perspective on the field. Tovar posts on Instagram to spread her work around and players are able to message her individually if they are interested in more pictures focused generally on them.

While some of her work may get overlooked more than others, she says it’s all worth it in the end when she sees the players’ reactions to her work. “I love seeing them smile or repost my pictures. It makes me feel seen.”

Although, photography has its challenges. Tovar admits, “When I took photos for boys lacrosse, some of the players were like, “Why didn’t you get the goal? And it was just because it happened so fast.” Still, she stays creative by trying different camera angles and experimenting with editing. She has been teaching herself. While she hasn’t taken any formal classes before, she would be interested in photography classes at Morgan in the future.

Enrique Carvalho-Dotor, freshman boys lacrosse player said, “I’m glad I have the opportunity to have pictures of myself taken because it is interesting to look back on moments of the game.” By sharing pictures to others across social media it helps to promote the photographer and gain engagement to their photos.

Tovar shared, “I want to be a photographer when I’m older. I’ve already got an Instagram account, and I hope to turn it into something more one day, maybe even a job.”

Both Tovar and Avila-Hernandez show very well that their roles are more than just showing up, but about passion and dedication. They might not always get the spotlight, but they are part of what makes teams feel like family.