As you look at the football field, you see a group of determined and focused boys getting ready to make a deep run in the playoffs.
“It’s win or go home at this time. We will be the underdog in all of our games from this point on, so we know that we have to play our best football of the season in order to give our team the best chance to win,” head coach Jeff Duncan said.
Junior and starting quarterback Isaac Kittrell has six touchdowns on the season and has his eyes set on securing a win Friday, Nov. 7 against McCluer North.
“We are a much more talented team than them, but they are pretty quick off the ball. If we all do our jobs correctly and do what the coaches ask us to do, we will be successful,” Kittrell said.
In his final season, senior captain and linebacker Jordan Deblassi has earned 44 tackles in the regular season.
“I’m getting my mindset focused on the upcoming game just like I know all the rest of my teammates are, and plus, it’s playoffs, so we all want to win really bad,” Deblassi said.
The team has been battling the cold weather all week at practice, but they are not letting that get in the way of their motivation.
“We have a great group of kids that believe in each other and play well together. The great thing about our kids is that they show up and do not back down to anyone. They always play hard,” Duncan said.
Both players and coaches have to get in the right mindset to be successful during playoffs time.
“Our coaches spend a lot of time watching film and game planning. After this, we install and teach it to our players. It’s great for this game because we have 2 weeks to get everything down,” Duncan said.
With their level of confidence, the team hopes to move on to the next round of the playoffs.
“[The players attitude] is much more serious; there is no more messing around or goofing off at practice. It’s a much more determined tone for players and coaches as we get closer to the game,” Kittrell said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
