With the start of a new school year, many students are looking forward to every Friday, and occasionally Thursday, night game. The football team has been preparing for the season since the beginning of summer, making sure they make playoffs for the 11th year in a row.
During the summer, the football team was practicing in the heat in order to overcome challenges they already had. With the loss of seniors, the newcomers are coming into the season learning positions, filling in those starting positions
“The loss of the seniors count,” senior Preston Healy said, “because we probably have four returning starters and lost about, let’s say, 17 starters due to [them being] seniors.”
Even with the lack of seniors on varsity this year, the newcomers have been relying on the seniors the team does have to guide them through their first year on varsity.
“They’ve helped me be a leader and show me what it’s like to be a leader,” junior Aaron Niermann said, “and how to lead other people and how to keep the team motivated during games.”
However, even with these challenges, the football team has been able to overcome these challenges by sticking together and relying on each other.
“We’re doing really well,” Healy said. “We’re putting new people in new spots and they’re all doing their job in order for us to win every game that we can.”
With all the newcomers on varsity this year, they said it seems as though the team has been practicing non-stop in order for the newcomers to more quickly adjust to being on varsity.
“They’re willing to put in the work,” head football coach Chad Cole said. “They’re willing to do the little things that are required to be successful.”
Although this is most of the varsity team’s first year, the team has shown determination and grit with their six wins and only two losses. The newcomers are making big plays on the field, in order to prove to everyone that they are the same team, if not better.
“I’d say our grit and determination because we were tired of people saying that this year we’re not going to be a good team,” junior Aaron Niermann said. “We just all want to prove people wrong and show that we can win.”
The team’s goals every year have been different, but the overall goal is the same: making playoffs and going far.
“They’ve seen the success we’ve had in the past,” Cole said. “They know the expectations that are required of them as senior leaders, and I have every confidence that they’ll go meet those expectations.”
Throughout the season, the team faces difficult teams. To win those games, players say they prepare themselves for the upcoming opponents by working together and watching the other teams tactics.
“Then we go through a game plan every week and watch film and just practice every day,” Niermann said. “We try to go 100 percent every practice so we can get everything right.”
Although the team grows together, it’s equally important to continue improving themselves just as much for the rest of the season.
“I was definitely lifting and running more just to increase my strength and speed,” Healy said, “As well as getting the team right by organizing group workouts and group led activities in order to gain bonding with each other.”
