Taking It Game By Game
Senior quarterback Travis Egan celebrates after a touchdown in the first half against Danville.
The Chargers took the win at Homecoming.
After Friday’s win against Danville, the Chargers are on an impressive 5 game streak.
A winning streak doesn’t go without practice and improvements. All eyes were on the Chargers during their Homecoming game. Peering into this week’s game, the Chargers are feeling confident, yet competition is only getting tougher as our winning streak gets longer.
Emotions were high heading into the game against Danville. “Everybody was pretty excited for the Danville game. Just because it was Homecoming too,” senior wide receiver Nolan Davenport said. “We knew we had a good chance to beat them,” Davenport said. Danville is a notably quick team with lots of athletic ability on their roster. They aren’t a team to overlook.
The Chargers focused heavily on defense to shut them down, which proved successful as we held them to seven points. “I feel like our defense played really well, only allowing them to score one time. Offense also played well. We ran the score up on them. Overall I feel like both sides of the ball were great,” senior guard Sebastian Espinoza said. Defensive strategy is one of the biggest components of any game, and when mixed with a great offensive plan, a gap on the scoreboard is almost bound to happen.
Towards the end of the game, fans and viewers of the game were concerned about the increasing physicalness of the game. However, things were not exactly how they seemed. “From the outside, it looks like they were dirty but on the inside that was one of the nicest teams I’ve ever played. They congratulated me on every run and they picked me up. There were a few things they got mad at and a little scrappy but until the end of the game they really weren’t that bad of a team,” senior running back Mason Gauthier said. Although from the outside the team may have seemed dirty, both teams left the field with a good heart.
The Chargers have looked a bit short-staffed with lots of pop-up injuries, but this game was a step forward. “It was exciting, coming back the week after you missed and helping the team succeed and win was exciting,” Espinoza said. “I feel like everyone plays a role on the team. Football is a team sport. I wouldn’t say that I’m the one that helped the win for sure, but I can say that I helped,” Espinoza said. Coming off of leaves caused by a concussion, was a mental battle for Espinoza. Yet, through perseverance, he was able to put on an impressive returning performance.
Being caught up in your head was a common occurrence that Friday, with Gauthier on the Homecoming Court, he had to work harder to keep his focus on the game. “I had to take my mindset out of the game to put a face on for the people,” Gauthier said. “It almost got in the way a little bit because I’m trying to focus on my game,” Gauthier said. While Homecoming is a great tradition, it can affect the team’s mentality.
As our winning streak grows, our competition is only going to get better. “We’re taking it game by game, no pressure about it. We just give everything we can, no matter our record, we just go out there and play,” Davenport said. There seem to be good vibes in the locker room, with only excitement in everyone as they prepare for the upcoming games. “We’re definitely looking forward to it [facing more competitive teams]. Getting more competition is definitely fun. We get to go play some better schools. We have been preparing a lot more for sure. We work harder and at the same time give ourselves more rest so we can give 100% effort all the time,” Davenport said.
“I’m really excited for that game [vs. Male]. That’s the team that made us take some steps back. I just feel like everyone on the team is just excited to play some actual competition,” Espinoza said. The countdown has begun for the Male game and it’s going to be nothing but hard work, high energy, and 100% effort from here on out from the chargers.
The upcoming three-week spread includes a few enticing rivalries. This week, it is our district rival, Fern Creek, followed by Southern High School and the highly anticipated game against Male on Oct. 21.
District games are incredibly important to the team. This Fern Creek game is a cornerstone for the chargers in order to get a high ranking in terms of the district. “Everyone is feeling excited. It’s Fern Creek, a district game. Hopefully, we will come out on top, and take a win. Then we will move on from there,” Espinoza said. With an exciting slew of games arriving, fans and players alike are excited to begin a close to the regular season.
