This year’s football season came to an end on Friday, Nov. 15. The team had many triumphs, concluding the season with a [7-4] record.

Although the 84-6 loss against the Southlake Carroll Dragons was not what the coaches and players anticipated for the final game, they have taken the outcome and turned it into a learning experience, serving as fuel for the team’s future.

“It was emotional,” head football coach Michael Odle said. “We didn’t handle it the way we all wanted to, coaches and players. At the end of the day I think we’re resilient and we’re going to be alright. We’re going to be stronger than we were before. There is no other way to go.”

During the season, the team consistently maintained a positive attitude, only focusing on ways to improve for future games. Although the losses were painful, they also presented opportunities for the team to grow and find new strength.

“You have to move on, it’s a process and whether you win or lose, by a little or by a lot, you have to go to the next scenario,” Odle said. “That applies to everything, whether it’s a grade in class, a score on the field [or] a relationship, you just have to keep going.”

With the season’s hardships came and abundance of life lessons for the team.

“[I learned] to just to never give up, to never quit on any play because that could be your last,” junior quarterback Taylen Green (17) said.

The season brought a sense of unity to the team, helping players realize achieving success does not consist solely on individual performance, but on learning to rely on one another. This realization renewed work ethic tremendously, creating a strong bond amongst the players.

“It’s not always about you, there’s a bigger purpose than just you,” senior wide receiver Harrison Kotlarek (4) said. “It’s about the whole team. [Whether] we were winning or losing, we still had each other’s backs no matter what.”

Looking ahead, the team is set on building on the progress that was made during football season. They plan on taking the setbacks and continue raising their expectations for the following seasons. 

“I’m looking forward to the off-season [and] everybody getting stronger,” Green said. “I’m excited for a new team, new things are always good. There’s things we need to get better on like focusing on the little things and just improving and hopefully going deeper into the playoffs next year.”

Regardless of the losses, the team appreciates all the lessons football has taught them throughout the season. They enjoyed the friendships they created and the opportunities they had to play and grow on the field. 

“[The team] has grown up,” Odle said. “We’ve been through so many situations and scenarios that they’ve had to overcome and we didn’t always do that to the best of our abilities but you learn. That’s the key, that we are more equipped to deal with today than we were yesterday.”