A few comments:
–Agree that you should definitely get your teacher recommendations lined up this year. Ask the teacher if he/she would be willing to write a positive letter of recommendation for college. My S was quiet and had no problem getting good LORs.
–A part time job and a sport are fine ECs for most colleges. The idea is to present what you have done in the best possible light. Keep the focus on what you have done, not what you haven’t done.
–The essay is not simply an exercise in showing you can write adequately, it is an opportunity to present something about you that can’t be found elsewhere on the application.