Coming off their very first loss of the season, our football players were disappointed, but only to an extent. After all, losing is only fuel for the fire leading the Warriors on their campaign this season. Leaning on each other is what gets these student athletes through their tough days, games, and practices altogether. Picking up any sort of slack is the main goal when looking forward to upcoming tough games. 

Expecting to come out on top and being disproven on the field is devastating: but it is not one person’s fault, it is instead the team’s goal to overcome. “There is no I in T-E-A-M after all,” said starting varsity sophomore Miles White. 

Looking in from the outside, the Dubs football team could appear to always be sailing smoothly throughout the season, but in reality, like with any team, they have to constantly work to be disciplined and support each other on and off the field. Adversities behind the scenes lead to mistakes on the field, and then to personal issues inside the locker room. Judgement is fatal when a group of people is working towards one common goal. “On the inside, we always have our judgements. We never try to take other players down. Letting go of grudges and moving on helps us improve,” White said.

Additionally, these players are normal people off of the field, and nobody is immune from their personal challenges. For any athlete, balancing school and sports is an indescribable struggle, but when your team environment is structured like a family, this sometimes burdening balance beam becomes easier to bear. “I would say with complete certainty that we are a family. These guys hold me up when nothing else seems to stay constant,” said sophomore Xaden Benson, “it’s a great feeling.” 

When the team as a whole isn’t at the top of its game, the coaches have a lot on their plates. These leaders in the Dub football family have to know how to step up and teach their kids just how to overcome adversity. “Well you kind of have to handle it like a parent with two siblings,” said Head Coach James Aull, “Adversity is bound to happen, but at the end of the day, when all is said and done, we have to all love each other and have to do the hug and makeup.”

Through their constant dedication to supporting each other and creating an environment of family, the Dubs are defeating hardships and progressing through their fights under Friday Night Lights. Go Dubs!