Bell senior goes from Germany to AT&T Stadium

Florens May fell in love and it brought him to America.

The L.D. Bell junior, a foreign exchange student from Hamburg, Germany, first learned of American football on social media. Once he tried playing, he knew he had to keep going.

“American football is not a very big sport in Germany; I saw on Facebook that some friends were doing it,” said May, 18.

“I had to join a club to play, and after the first practice, I said, ‘Yeah, I need to do this.’”

That was in December of 2013. Now, he’s on the Blue Raiders varsity, recently called up from the junior varsity to play special teams.

“Playing on the varsity in Texas, that’s something,” May said.

Following his initial learning of the sport, May talked his parents into sending him to a camp in Florida in the summer of 2014. There, he said he was told by camp coaches that he should consider coming to America to play.

So he became an exchange student, and next thing he knew, he was in Hurst. And he’s impressing his coaches at Bell, particularly head coach Mike Glaze.

“The great thing about him is he does everything full-speed,” Glaze said. “Enthusiasm is contagious. It rubs off.”

Glaze said May’s integration onto the team was seamless and a learning experience for all.

“It’s a neat deal when you get a kid who has a different story,” he said. “The kids have really accepted him and brought him into the family.”

Sports crosses all boundaries, Glaze added.

“This has given our kids an opportunity to see that,” he said. “Also, the first day kids see that you can play, they want you on their team, no matter who you are or where you’re from.”

May said one of the biggest adjustments he’s had to make being in America is practicing more, something he likes.

“In Germany we had a couple or three practices a week, but here it’s five times a week, morning and afternoon – but I was ready for that,” he said.

Well, that and the heat, another thing he likes.

“I’m used to a little cooler weather back home, 60 degrees is a heat wave,” he said with a chuckle.

Now that he’s been cleared by the University Interscholastic League to play on the varsity, he will experience another dream. The game on Oct. 24 against Haltom will be played at AT&T Stadium, the second time the Blue Raiders varsity will have played in the home of the Dallas Cowboys this season.

“I got to suit up for the first game there and the seniors let me carry the flag, but this time, actually getting to play there, oh man,” May said. “My heart beats more each time I think of that.”

The Cowboys, however, are his second favorite NFL team. His favorite is the Patriots.

“I can relate to the weather more in New England,” he said smiling. “But if the Cowboys beat them, I’m OK.”

Back in Germany, May also ran track. He is considering trying out for the track team come spring, or perhaps even trying something else entirely new.

“I’m interested in baseball. There are even less opportunities to play that in Germany than football,” he said.

He will not, however, be likely to try out for soccer. Despite the European stereotypes, neither he nor his father, also a good athlete, excelled at their nation’s most popular sport.

“I tried soccer once, [but] my dad and I are really bad at it,” he said with a grin. “I’m better off staying with American football.”

▪  L.D. Bell Blue Raiders (0-7, 0-3 in District 7-6A) vs. Colleyville Heritage Panthers (3-3, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday, Mustang-Panther Stadium

This is a game of contrasting offenses. Bell averages 194 yards rushing and 91 passing, while Heritage averages 277 passing and 131 rushing. Both quarterbacks have accounted for the majority of their team’s yardage this season. Bell’s Dominique Lawson has almost 1,100 total yards (523 passing, 3 TD, 4 int.; 555 rushing, 4 TD) and the Panthers’ Camden Roane nearly 1,900 (1,614 passing, 12 TD, 11 int.; 280 rushing, 1 TD). Heritage leads the series 7-0.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Bell senior goes from Germany to AT&T Stadium."