Greater experience, new game strategies, and better team cohesion has led the varsity football team to better results than last year. Their record is 8-0, averaging 43 points per game. The team is ranked leaders of District One.
“The main difference between this year and last is experience,” head varsity coach Steve Valach said. “Most of the players have already done at least a year of football, whether it was on varsity, JV, or freshman level. The experience of the players definitely is a major key in our team’s victories.”
Experience of the players has also helped the team’s unity.
”We have a lot of senior players this year, and it’s really helped because we’ve grown a lot as a team together, and it’s helped the chemistry,” captain Torey Anderson said. “I think student leadership has done a great job of helping the younger and older players get along together, and buy into the concept of the team, not the concept of each individual player.”
New mottos and unwritten rules have made an impact on the team’s success as well.
“We have a motto, which is ‘Trust the scheme’, meaning everybody does what they’re supposed to do, everything fits together, and we accomplish what we came to get,” Valach said. “We also say we have to beat ourselves. The opposite team is going to try and defeat us, but we practice to defeat ourselves; therefore, defeating the other team in the process.”
After securing eight wins in a row, the team is excited to go be in the playoffs.
“We’re excited for the new challenges that each team presents,” Anderson said. “We think we’re ready for what we face. Our goal is to win state, and we have complete confidence in our abilities. We know there are a lot of great teams out there, and we know we have to play to our fullest capabilities to beat those teams.”