part 2.

It’s the bus ride back after a loss, everyone is quiet and very frustrated. Disappointed is what the players say they feel after a loss. How would you feel after getting thrown up and down the field for an hour and a half, only to lose by more than 4 touchdowns. There's no doubt that our Varsity football hasn't had much success in its eight-year history. So far, this season hasn't changed that 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." said Spears. October 7th is when district games start and that's what the players are most looking forward to because those games actually matter. Talent wise, this is one of the best teams we’ve had and to keep losing like this is a waste of talent . During practice the team shows so much potential, but that same chemistry doesn’t seem to click come game time. Mistakes after mistakes, Junior Center David Garza says that it’s all mental. One thing the players agree on is that they would probably play better if the school had more spirit. With no support, the players are basically by themselves out there, not just against the other team, but their fans as well. District games are about to start, they’re sort of in a position of lose, and the season is pretty much done, no playoffs, or win, and you’re still alive with a shot at the playoffs for the first time in school history. Senior Dre Raindle says that this isn’t a very good feeling either. Talk about pressure. In his four years playing football here at Akins, he’s had 3 different head coaches. This doesn’t help the team either. Some players are in it for the love of the game and want to win, but there’s a sense that this isn’t true to all the players. Some are just playing to say they play football or no reason at all. They make so many mistakes that they don’t even know what they can do to get better. Maybe if everyone played as a team and were on the same page, the results of the games would be a lot different. At a certain point in each game, the players accept defeat, and give up. This is a huge problem, and school spirit plays a role in this. If everyone in the stands were cheering their team on louder than the one on the opposite side of the stadium, the players would get pumped up and give it their all. But when half the people who came leave in the fourth quarter with 9 minutes still to play, then it really gets to the players heads. Add that to the players who give up before they even get on the field, and you’ve got problems ahead for the next 4 quarters. Vince Lombardi once said, “If you can accept losing, you can’t win.”