As the Lake Shore varsity football team hits the halfway mark of its first season with new coach James Rogers, players are asked what they think of the season so far, and what they expect as the season goes on.
The varsity team is currently 2-3 win to lose. At this same time last year, the team was in the same spot the 2-3 win-to-lose position. With a new coach and mainly new players, Senior Ja’Sean Dean was asked how this year is different from the past. Dean said, “The team is a lot different because we are younger and got more talented guys that can stay disciplined and nobody is really that cocky frl, I love the new coaching staff they will lead you in the right direction they know how to coach well and they are very smart.”
Change and adjustments take time in any situation. For this matter, people want to see improvements faster especially for this being some of their senior years. To focus on the game is to be in a proper mindset and know what you are working towards.
Distractions are a big thing in any sport, focusing means a calm mind and locking your focus in. In just one game there were two disruptions that distracted even the students from the game, so when asked about how these players took that, they gave an answer without hesitation, no distractions.
Dean said, “There’s no distractions when I touch the field I get tunnel vision so I really cut off everybody and try to lock in with the game.”
To keep distractions of mind they focus on teamwork, goals, and strategies, really how to better themselves during the game. For this, they focus on taking responsibility for their part in the team and working as a whole to communicate and work towards a win.
Most people when thinking about the future, they have goals laid out. Junior, Noah VanCoppenolle said, “I hope we will make it to the playoffs, but we will have to win every remaining game to do so.”
Dean followed that and said, “My personal goal is to break my record from last year, team goal was to win the mac or make the playoffs, we just gotta play harder and be more locked in at practice.”
VanCoppenolle currently is first in the team and division with the most tackles around 60. Dean and VanCoppenolle both play major roles in leading the team, with both being part of the starter team.
To have a mindset, and to reach for the goal are running through minds right now. Dean said, “I think our [season] will be [tough] but we will fight to make the playoffs [we have to] beat GPN, Lamphere, Cousino, and Lakeview [of course], but we feel like we got it.”
With four games left to go, these players have work to put in and goals to meet.
