The under-funding of public schools has now caught up with our state championship winning football team.

Lead by the Judson Athletic Booster Club, a GoFundMe campaign has begun to purchase new sideline headsets for the coaches and the team that are essential for the game.

“Unfortunately, we have come to a point in time where our football program is losing the technology race when it comes to varsity game day communication between coaches on the sideline and those that are in the press box,” head coach Sean McAuliffe said in an email sent out to the staff Friday morning.

Last week, during their high profile win against Lake Travis, the Rockets did not have a defensive coach in the press box because of their ongoing issue with headset communication.

This issue is not something new.

Over the course of the last four years, the team has had to borrow headsets from other schools so they could properly communicate with each other, strike certain venues as places to play like the Alamodome and have competed in back-to-back state semifinals with limited to nonexistent field to press box communication during those games.

“Imagine for a moment trying to teach, or correct a behavior, or praise a kiddo in your class and they cannot hear you, or your message is broken and interrupted with constant static,” McAuliffe said. “That is the current issue we are facing on game days at the varsity level of our football program.”

The campaign is hoping to raise $40,000 to purchase industry standard CoachComm Tempest FX headphones for sideline communication. Those wanting to donate to the football program can access the GoFundMe account by clicking here.