The Richwoods Boys’ Football season has unfortunately come to a close. Even though the overall record was not where the team wanted it to be at 2-7, our Knights were competitive throughout the year all the way from our freshman team to varsity.
Our freshman team did an exceptional job this year, winning 6 out of their 9 games. The future teams are looking very solid because in a few years most of these players, like Liam Ratliff, will be playing on Varsity. The main reason that the freshmen did so well this season is because of their mindsets. “We came into the season with high expectations, and we knew how good we were from the start.” said Liam. The key to their success was knowing that “having a losing record wasn’t an option and that we would dominate and give it 110% every play.” Another big reason they did so well is the coaches. Liam says, “from day one of training camp they taught us how to have a winning mentality and play as a team.” The coaches weren’t only focused on the wins and losses this season. “The coaches are truly what make our teams great. They taught us how to be better on and off the field. We wouldn’t have won any games without them.”
Our junior varsity team is next in line to represent our school on the big stages next season. Joe Ruggerio told me that “One of the best aspects of the JV football team is the ability to get on the field experience which helps me play better.” Junior varsity really prepares our players for the big leagues by helping them to “be more fundamentally sound for when they play varsity.” Next season Joe is “Looking forward to playing solely varsity and a better season. Our team is already working very hard in the offseason.” Joe tells us to expect “a good, if not great, record next year.”
Gabe Pritchard knows that the season did not go as expected. According to Gabe, it all comes down to the players’ drive to win. “We didn’t get the momentum we needed in big games.” Gabe says, “People’s choices in the offseason affected this. We need to get in the weight room and go to track practices to build speed during the offseason if we want to succeed in the next season.” Players need to watch football and “build their football intelligence.” In preparation for next season, Gabe is going to “spend a lot of time in the weight room in the winter and do track in the spring.”
The Knights showed great potential for next year. We know that every year the competition gets harder and harder, but our Knights are ready for it. The future is bright for Richwoods Boys’ Football.
