The Titan football team ended their season with a record of 7-4 after losing 24-14 to New Trier in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 1.

South managed to keep up with New Trier for the first half of the game, holding the score at 3-0. South had the opportunity to also go for a field goal to tie the game, but instead went for the fourth down. According to McDonagh, this was a decision made by the coaching staff in order to not play conservatively.

“That was the mindset of the game: attack them,” McDonagh said. “As far as a momentum builder, I don’t think a field goal would have done much for us.”

South began to fall behind as New Trier pulled ahead making the score 10-0 in the third quarter, but South persevered and scored a touchdown towards the end of the third quarter making the score 10-7. As the fourth quarter began, New Trier scored once again with the Titans trailing 24-7. Within the last minutes of the game, South was able to put one more touchdown on the scoreboard to end the game with a score of 24-14.

“I’d say our energy was good throughout the whole game,” McDonagh said. “It was just eventually New Trier found that hole to run through, and they busted it out for a big round. ”

Things such as an interception, a turnover in the redzone and penalties all contributed to the loss, McDonagh said. During a punt made by McDonagh, the ball bounced off the head of a New Trier player. GBS recovered the ball, but the referees reversed the call and gave New Trier possession.

“I got a 15-yard penalty for yelling at the referee,” McDonagh said. “I didn’t say anything vulgar. I just said, ‘It hit him on the head,’ repeatedly. I was just sticking up for what I thought. Obviously, it hit him on the head and [the referee] called it from the other side of the field.”

However, this game was different from the first time the Titans played New Trier this season, because of the improvement of the Titan defense McDonagh says. On Oct. 10, South played New Trier and lost 49-24. According to senior Quinn Conaghan, the team didn’t play up to their best ability.

“We just didn’t show up [mentally],” Conaghan said. “We were prepared well, we just didn’t play [the first New Trier game] well.”

Head coach Mike Noll believes that South had the capability to beat New Trier.

“Yes, New trier is more talented than usual [and] they’re big, but had we just played a little better and done what [we]were taught a little better, we felt like we could have had a good chance to win,” Noll said.

Though the season is now over, McDonagh says that he doesn’t have any regrets.

“In [the second] New Trier game I went as hard as I could every single play, I think [the team as a whole] did,” McDonagh said.  “I wanted to win the game obviously, but I think we did everything we could do. People are going to make mistakes and mistakes were made, myself included.”