Gallery • 6 Photos

Photographer: Riley vonBorstel

With the end of Seward high’s football season, it’s time for the players to hang up their football jerseys and tuck their helmets away. The football season of 2017 was rough, filled with rainy days, soggy fields, and sickness. Now that the season is over, we get a last reflection of this year and our first look at next year’s season goals.

According to seniors Sage Ferguson and Brandon Lynch, this season was “not nearly what we expected it to be.” This may be partially due to the fact that the team lost over ten seniors last year. This season’s team was primarily freshmen — many who had never played football before. “A big experience buffer” according to one upperclassman player. Freshmen players Colt Ogle and Collin Mullaly informed me they made the decision to play football because it “seemed like a fun experience,” and they had enjoyed passing a football around during middle school. Junior player Derek Harshman said that the team is “looking for dedicated people who are willing to stick with the sport,” so by the time these freshmen are seniors, the team will be unbeatable. The players and coaches are hopeful the team will continue to grow and become stronger next season.

Of the seven football players I spoke with, five confirmed they are playing football next season. The other two being seniors and can no longer compete. There are many different reasons students make the decision to play football. Nathaniel Basalo joined because his friends recognized that he was fast and told him he would be a good addition to the team. Beau Freiberg has continued to play for seven seasons (4 seasons during his time living in Washington), because “there’s an adrenaline rush that you get during a football game, that’s like no other sport.” Every player has stated being on the football team is “a lot of fun,” and they can’t wait until next season.

Something that made this season especially hard was sickness and injuries. About a month in, a large chunk of the team came down with either mono or strep throat and couldn’t practice or play. At least one day of practice was cancelled to allow the players to rest and to hopefully keep the healthy players from being contaminated. As expected with football, many players received injuries throughout the season. Getting pushed over and shoved around during practice and games can really take its toll. “I get a lot of bruises,” said junior player Nathaniel Basalo, much more than he was expecting.

The players of this season are hoping that next year will be stronger. It was implied that this year was a time of rebuilding, after losing a large chunk of senior players last year. There is hope that all the freshmen that played this year will also play next year, and that the upcoming freshman will play and stick with the sport through senior year. While this football season has ended, the players cannot wait until next season and what it will bring.