by Shania Mejia, staff writer
While the varsity football team ended their season with a tough record of 1-5 , the coaches and players pointed to their win against Burton (42-40) and their last game of the regular season against Mission as signs that the team will be a factor in the AAA in the near future.
According to the team’s head coach, Nick N., there were many factors that contributed to the team’s rough season, in what he considered was a rebuilding year. For starters, he says the team was not able to have a spring season or a winter season. Traditionally, the team is able to do weight training throughout the winter season, teachings during the spring season, conditioning during summer, all in time for the regular season in the fall. Due to the pandemic however, the team was not able to have any of these things.
On top of the factors that were caused by the pandemic, there were also issues that revolved around student’s eligibility. Every game there was something new whether that be a player not being eligible, a starting running back being suspended, or even a protest happening the day of a game.
Regardless of the obstacles faced this season, Coach Nick values the effort put in by the players, such as how the players made grades and still showed up to practice even with certain outcomes to the games. Coach Nick said, “You can’t put a price or value on something that’s completely valued and important.”
Coach Nick also said, “I told the boys this, if we had to lose every game again just to get to that point where we’re playing as a team, where we’re relying on our brothers to do our job or give our best effort, if we had to go through all that again just to get one game like that [against Mission], I’d lose 4 more games. I’d do it all again.”
After the team’s performance against Mission specifically, Coach Nick is willing to have the season that way if it meant each game would be the way it was. In a way where the guys played together as a team, where they could rely on one another to get the job done or to give their best effort, in those ways, he’d do it all again.
No matter the season’s record and game outcomes, the players are proud of their season. One of the team’s captains, junior, Nestor Gonzalez, said, “We could’ve gave up after our losses, but we continued fighting and striving together as a unit and as a captain. I’m proud of my team.”
Another one of the team’s captain, Nate Chynoweth, added, “At some point, you [the team] have to see that work translates to wins and that is what we were missing this year. However, that’s the step I strongly believe will be the difference next year, putting wins on the scoreboard.”
Looking ahead to next season, the football team is already getting to work. Despite their season just ending on November 13, the team is already getting to weight training the following week. The coach is looking into getting the players to return and back to work. “No days off” he says. The players know what’s expected of them and they plan to come back more prepared for next year.
