There's no doubt that Akins Varsity football hasn't had much success in its eight-year history. So far, this season hasn't changed at all. But there's still hope with more than half the season left, and the players feel the same way.
Senior Defensive End Zeke Spears says that he's really feeling optimistic to the district games. "If we (the players) get on the same page I think we got a chance." he told me after the homecoming loss to Connally. October 7th is when district games start and that's what the players are most looking forward to because those games actually matter. It's almost like our school is cursed. In the three years I've been going here, we've only won twice, and those were in my freshmen year, so we're currently on a 20-game losing streak. We should ask the 2008 Detroit Lions, who were the first winless team in NFL history, for some tips on how they broke that spell. Some say it's the coaching, some say it's the players, some would also agree it's a mixture of both. Whatever it is that goes through the player's minds before a game, needs to change. They need to stop continuing to do whatever it is they do to prepare for games. Practice more, workout more, focus more. Who knows, maybe in a year or two we'll make the playoffs. Maybe putting more motivating signs in the halls or rewarding players who score touchdowns or make big plays. The more we lose, the less players will want to try, and the more students will be reluctant to go to the games. As the late great Vince Lombardi put it, "If you can accept losing, you can't win." This is a perfect example of the way the students think. And it probably gets to the player's heads. Confidence for our football team is at an all-time low right now. But at least it can't get any worse.
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