TACKLE FOOTBALL
The Varsity Football team has had a challenging start to the new season, with a 0-2 record. The Titans remain focused on their ultimate goals and long-term team growth, David Schoenwetter, Varsity Football Head Coach, said.
On August 21, the team lost a close game to York, 20-17, and last week, playing their first home game, lost to Fremd 35-21 despite a first-quarter lead. Fremd came back, taking the lead through the middle quarters and winning the game. The Titan’s two losses tie the total losses they had last season, Schoenwetter said.
Last year, the Titans had a 7-2 record, which qualified them for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 8A playoffs in the Central Suburban League (CSL) South Division. The team won by two touchdowns, beating Minooka High School 27-14. The Titans lost the second round to Barrington High School by a score of 38-20, ending the season with a total of eight wins and three losses. The team finished second in the CSL South Division. In hopes to do better this season, the Titans focus on building a strong connection between players and working even harder towards their goals, Schoenwetter said.
“We are trying to work hard every day and play as hard as we can in each game,” Schoenwetter said. “We would love to win the conference championship this season and pursue a state championship, but we are trying to focus on our daily behaviors that can add up to good results.”
Part of their successful run last season came from the brotherhood between the players, senior Jonas Wang, Varsity Football Player, said. The connection helped win close games and become devoted to not only the game but also the success of every team member, Wang said. Returning players on the team plan on bringing the same commitment to the field, in hopes that they can return to the playoffs this season, Wang said.
“The program has been preaching to ‘be above the line’, for a while, ” Wang said. “It means do it for the person next to you, and be a part of something bigger than yourself.”
The Titans will have an opportunity to pick up their first victory of the season tonight at 7 p.m., where they will host Niles North High School for their second home game. After all their off-season practices the Titans are hopeful that they did what was needed to bring home the win, Schoenwetter said.
“I think football of all sports requires the most patience, hope, and belief,” Schoenwetter said. “We have hopefully taken all the right steps in order to reach victory.”
FLAG FOOTBALL
With a younger roster and high expectations, the Varsity Flag Football team enters the new season looking to build on last year’s success, Thomas Godbout, Varsity Flag Football Head Coach, said.
The team finished last season ranked second in Illinois and ninth nationally by MaxPreps before losing in the state quarterfinals against Maine South High School, Godbout said. With 17 seniors gone, the team relies on 12 sophomores, two freshmen, and five returning starters like senior Alexis Erickson, Varsity Flag Football Co-Captain, to win the conference and make another run at a state title, Godbout said. The close sta
te game showed the veteran players what it would take to make it further, Erickson said.
“Last year has motivated us because of how close we got to winning it all,” Erickson said. “However, we are good at communicating and connecting with each other, and we are good at owning up to our mistakes so that we can learn from them.”
Elevating the offensive production is the primary goal
this season for improvement, Godbout said. While the defense played well during last season’s three losses, the offense struggled to move the ball, he said.
“We have brought up a lot of kids that are very elusive and can make people miss,” Godbout said.
The team kicked off the season with a 3-0 record, winning against Lakes Community High School 14-13 in the opener. The Titans then went on to follow that close victory with a dominant 26-0 win against Resurrection College Prep High School. They then continued their streak against Carmel Catholic High School with a 33-0 shutout.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the state championship this year,” Erickson said. “We all have high expectations for ourselves, and we are prepared to work hard to get as far as we can this year.”