Nick Altmann

As senior Logan Williams snaps the ball, senior Jack Martin prepares to catch. Martin is 90 yards away from breaking career records. He is also one touchdown away from breaking the school touchdown record.

After defeating Priory 45-3 at the first round of  district playoffs, the varsity football team looks to defeat Borgia at home at 7 p.m.

With a regular season record of 6-4, senior Jack Mendonsa knows that any game played could be his last.

“Priory is a better team than people think, but as a whole we played the better game, executed on offense and stopped them on defense. Overall, it was a pretty good game,” Mendonsa said.

According to senior Antonio Smith the defense needs to keep blocking and work on getting the offense back the ball faster.

“Our offense is pretty good; we just have to make sure we’re all on the same page and aren’t trying to do too much,” Smith said.

Smith believes that the energy and team spirit is what makes the community unique and helps the team play better.

“The football team can hear the student section all over the field, they bring the excitement to the games which makes us play better,” Smith said. “The community, the middle schools and the elementary they all come out. It’s something special.”

In addition to the community support, the team also meets for a dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings every Thursday night from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Buffalo Wild Wings is why we keep winning, because it is all about team bonding. I love the chemistry and it will always be our tradition,” senior Jordan Winn said.

Coach Melvin Bethany is impressed by the camaraderie. Bethany is especially impressed with the group of seniors because their knowledge of the game and each other has been particularly high.

“This team has a very high football IQ so that helps out a lot. They understand the game and their responsibilities,” Bethany said. “[The seniors] also play for each other, there’s not a lot of selfish play going on. That’s the difference between this year and other years.”

The coaches expect the team to go far if they keep practicing, which they have been doing strategically and physically.

Since Aug. 4, the team has arrived on Thursday mornings at 5:20 a.m. to prepare for the Friday night lights.

“I feel exhausted all day after morning practice, I can’t focus in class,” senior Caleb Carswell said. “The showers are always cold and the water pressure is awful. The stench of the sweaty locker room is unbearable.”

After watching film to prepare for tonight’s game, the team is prepared for their blitzing.

“We have worked so long for this Friday’s game. As a team I believe we are well prepared to take on Borgia. We have focused a lot on this team by only worrying about one team at a time,” Carswell said.

Head coach Jeff Duncan believes the team improved along the way by holding players accountable and dismissing athletes that violated team rules.  

“This is not something that we like to do, but it was the best thing for our team and it has made us stronger along the way. This group continues to put a few more pieces into place each week.  Having several impact players on both sides of the ball helps,” Duncan said.