To me, the addition of “never missed a 6:30 am practice” tells me a great deal, in the way other additions do not. It is a shorthand way to convey, grit, perseverance, hard work, determination, reliability, responsibility – all fantastic things! These things are not conveyed by adding “state champion finalist team” or whatever.
Another vote for writing about football in the essay to illuminate aspects of your son not necessarily seen in other areas of the application. That is, the intangibles.