The last time the boys varsity football team has seen more than nine games in their season was back in 2014. A normal season consist of nine games. To guarantee a spot in playoffs a team must win six out of the nine. That is just what the boys did.
After enduring two, back-to-back 1-8 seasons they knew something needed to change this year. With hard work and dedication those dreams became a reality.
“It feels really great, it’s like a breath of fresh air. In past years we’ve gotten a lot of hate so it feels good to finally prove everybody wrong,” senior Paul Castle said.
After finishing 2nd in the O-K white conference, the dreams of becoming a successful team became true. Only losing two games in the regular season the boys, were determined to do more.
“The most important thing is they’ve gotten better each week,” athletic director Pat Marsman said. “It’s a pretty tight knit group and you typically will find that with teams that are championship level.”
For the seniors, this season has been an important one from breaking the losing trend, to coming together one last time. They were ready to make history.
“It has been really eye opening to think that this is the end, we’ve all been playing together since rocket football,” senior Ryan Castle said. “It makes you realize how fast it goes by.”
When the stadium lights turned off one last time and the locker room cleared, the athletes on the team finished as a family. This football season went down in Wildcat history, leaving the underclassmen with big shoes to fill.
“I feel like [the juniors] realize that we have to work hard for the good things we have and the wins we get, so we are just going to have to continue doing that,¨ junior Kolbe Vandenberg said.
For the people in the stands, this successful season has come as a surprise. But for the team – especially the seniors – this was no surprise at all. For four years they believed they would be a part of the team that was going to change it all.
¨Our goal since freshman year has always been to make the playoffs. We all worked together to achieve that goal,¨ senior Zachary Wiersma said.
super cool