The football season started a little rocky. After the last two seasons ending with state championships, the change was hard for the players.

“Battling through adversity and accepting the changing of different positions (was definitely something we struggled with)” senior and captain Joseph Beck said.

Even through the hard times, the team said they made sure to make personal improvements.

“(I’ve worked on) tackling,” sophomore Zavier King said. “I’ve been playing low to go through their legs and dropping back.”

While they were working at personal improvements, team improvements were happening as well, though not quite at the same pace.

“(We have) more and more people that care (about winning),” junior Joseph Howard said,“(but at the same time) not as many people care about winning.”

All together, the team faced hardships that they tried to overcome. After winning the first game against Nickerson, the team went without a win until Oct. 17, when they beat Ellinwood by a field goal in a double overtime game.

“(We had struggles with) defense and getting stops and also scoring and putting points on the board,” King said.

The personal improvements the players were working toward did not go unnoticed in the midst of a rocky season.

“My first varsity touchdown (was a highlight),” Howard said.  “It was on homecoming too. It was a great memory.”