With football being in the middle of its season, students and players alike are riled up about everything surrounding it. As the season progresses with more wins than losses, opinions of the team vary from person to person, mostly chock-full with optimism, even with one defeat on the team’s record so far.

“Unfortunately, it was against Plano, so we didn’t get city championship,” senior Matt Wald said. “But we’re pretty much shutting down every team that we’ve played.”

The playoffs are an achievement that every football player looks forward to. Victory in the playoffs is a sign of good skill and teamwork.

“We’re dominant in every category,” Wald said. “There’s a big possibility of getting into the playoffs. The only issues are small errors, but we’re pretty efficient in what we do.”

One of the most important lessons from any sport is the wisdom gained from the mistakes made in a previous defeat, and senior linebacker Guy Sacco values that knowledge.

“I think the season is going great and that Plano Senior was a big wake up call,” Sacco said. “Now that we have seen adversity, I believe it has made us a stronger team.”

Teamwork plays a large role in many sports, especially when it comes to football. Players rely on each other in order to succeed together.

“Every man in blue has influence in what the outcome is when the final whistle blows and the score is set on Friday night,” Sacco said. “We break out on family and we mean it when we say it.”

Whether win or lose, players create memories in the last few years of high school.

“It’s the best in my high school career,” senior Soso Jamabo said. “We’ve won five games and lost one, so I’m not completely satisfied, but I’m having fun.”

Jamabo partakes in rituals he believes will help him perform better in the game.

“If we win the previous week, I’ll do the same thing I did the day we won,” Jamabo said. “I’ll go in the mat room and listen to music, or I’ll drink four bottles of Pedialyte. I wear a different pair of cleats every game, too.”

However, as the wins increase, penalties in play have become more frequent.

“We’ve had too many penalties recently,” linebacker coach John Bandy said. “In the beginning we were doing alright, but especially in the Plano game we’ve been hit with too many penalties.”

Like the players, coaches also have favorite superstitions that they enforce before a game.

“If we win a week before, I’ll wear the same hat the next week,” Bandy said. “If we lose, I’ll trade hats.”

Bandy is confident in the varsity team’s playing and their journey to the playoffs.

“They’re trying very hard to make their goal of making the playoffs,” Bandy said. “We’ve got good kids on our team who play hard and work hard.”