Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose with This Docuseries
Friday Night Lights fans look no further
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
If you were a fan of the beloved TV series Friday Night Lights, that line most likely tugs on your heartstrings.
I’ve often wished I could have experienced the slow burn of watching each episode as it aired, instead of binge watching on Netflix. Whether you got to let each installment marinate in your brain for a week, or let your trigger happy finger hit “next episode,” the point is, fans miss the fictional TV show about life and high school football.
Which is why I’m here, to tell you that Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg, has a new series out about high school football, except this time, it’s not fictional.
In a 10-part docuseries, QB1: Beyond the Lights follows three high school quarterbacks in their senior seasons. While of course showing what goes on under between the hash marks, the series also sheds light on the personal lives of the three signal callers.
Tate Martell, is the quarterback for the Bishop Gorman Gaels in Las Vegas, Nevada. With Martell’s storyline, we see who many argue to be the most talented quarterback in the 2017 class. He is a born leader which can be viewed from practice footage, but even more when the series shows him voluntarily coaching a younger generation of quarterbacks. Martell seems like the kid who’s got it all, not to mention a scholarship from the Ohio State Buckeyes, the division I college team he is committed to.
Viewers get to meet Martell’s family, who have a strong, close knit bond with one another. In one episode Martell is shown at a tattoo shop, adding one to his collection, which all have to do with family.
Martell about one of his tattoos:
“This is all just stuff about my family. Like the bare tree is like, when you feel empty in life, that you always have your roots to go back to.”
During this season, Martell will have to defend his past two-year undefeated run with Bishop Gorman. And two national championships. Easy.
Jake Fromm is the quarterback for the Houston County Bears in Warner Robins, Georgia. In Fromm we see a cool, calm, southern teenager who seems used to being under the spotlight and in front of the TV cameras. Besides playing football, Fromm likes to fish off a dock in the backwoods, which can be seen during a scene that showcases his easy going nature.
With a commitment to play college ball at the University of Georgia, Fromm is used to having high expectations.
On what he wants to accomplish his senior year:
“One of my personal goals this year is breaking Deshaun Watson’s all-time passing record for the state of Georgia. He threw for like 13,000 yards his whole career, and I’m pretty close you know, and I think I got it.”
Fromm and the Houston County Bears have lost in the third round their past two seasons in trying to capture a state championship. Senior year will be Fromm’s last chance at a state championship ring.
Tayvon Bowers is the quarterback for the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bowers’ may have the toughest challenge of all three featured quarterbacks, for he is starting his senior season with a group of new, inexperienced players, prone to dropping passes.
Bowers’ story is a bit heavier than the other two quarterbacks, he lost his father in a car crash when he was just a young boy. Though, he feels his dad’s presence whenever he steps on the field.
“I know he is not able to be there like physically, but I know he’s watching me from up in heaven.”
With so many new guys on the team, Bowers is shown having to step up in his role as leader, pumping some inspiration into the rookies. A 1–0 start to the season will not be so easy Bowers’ senior year.
QB1: Beyond the Lights, captures that magic between life and football that Friday Night Lights was able to do so well. It is something that I think will draw fans in and keep them coming back for more.
