Football
Halftime for Rose FootballBY Clarke Webster October 31, 2014
It is halftime in this season of Rampant football. Both the junior varsity and varsity football teams have experienced steady success so far in the season. The varsity team destroyed the opposition in its first eight games. They consecutively defeated their opponents, beating rivals South Central and D.H. Conley in the process. The JV team has demonstrated skill as well. They have been able to keep up and more recently surpass the varsity team’s winning streak.
In their ninth game, the varsity Rampants were defeated for the first time by Eastern Wayne 63-23. This was the first time ever that Eastern Wayne has defeated them. This loss was unexpected and will be a defining moment that will set the tone for the rest of the season. “It was hard to take knowing that we were a better team than what we showed everybody,” senior Geo Williams said. “It was hard to take that loss.” What the team takes away from this loss is critical. If they fall into a mindset of failure, it could be very hard to get the season back on track. This, however, is not the mindset of the Rampants. “We just have got to pick ourselves back up, work together and get back on the same page,” senior Catarino Becerra said. “We have to play together; we have a lot of individuals, but we need to be a team.” What actually went wrong? What caused the team to lose? In the post game huddle Coach Wojtecki was said to have conveyed that he had not prepared the team well enough and that he would not make that mistake again. This theory was agreed upon by most of the players. “We have to get refocused,” senior Micah Hunter said. “It really doesn’t change anything; we just have to practice harder.” The team has taken the recovery process seriously, and the players have very clear ideas on what it will take to recover and return stronger than before. “We showed the other side of us last night. Our attitude has to change.” Williams said. With the opportunity to remain undefeated out of the picture, what is the Rampants goal? “You start out the season winning eight games and not losing any, and it crushes you,” senior Austin Swiderski said. “The goal was never to stay undefeated, it was to play as hard as we could win or lose, and we just didn’t play as hard as we could. We still have our goal.” Despite the hiccup in the season, the Rampants are no where near ready to give up. Hopes are still high, and the team’s determination has grown stronger. The challenging game against the undefeated New Bern Bears is on the horizon, and the Rampants will have to perform at their best if they hope to win. When asked if they were ready to defeat the Bears, all of the player replied positively, “yes.” |
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