Football: The Journey to Playoffs
Rain or shine, our Seward Seahawk football team is out fighting for victory. With only two more games to go, the boys have been seeded first and are going to playoffs. Their record within our conference is 4-0, winning to some of our toughest competitors- Homer, Nikiski, Voznesenka, and Redington. With a record like this, our football team has been awarded the conference champion title. The amount of effort each team member contributes shows when they’re out on the field.
Alumni and former football player for Seward High, Matthew Morris, had also noticed how successful the football team has been. Having five consecutive wins for our conference games, Matt didn’t need to see the other opponents to tell our team had something special. During Matthew’s junior year, the football team received third place in state. In his opinion, third place is within reach for our current team, maybe even better. “It seems like they have good team chemistry, and that’s really what we were lacking the most last year when we played.” When asked what advice he had for current and future players, his answer was simple and sweet. “Keep working as a team. Very important.”
Rhett Sieverts had similar outlooks as Matt. This year is his senior year, marking it his fourth and last season with the Seward football team. Rhett remarks his past years being “self-centered”, for the majority of the team focused on individual stats, other than the football team as a whole. The group of boys this year have looked beyond that, seeing each other as teammates. Rhett invisions the team making it through playoffs. “It won’t be an easy walk, but if we continue to work hard, we can do it.” His advice for future players is to keep up on responsibilities and work hard, even outside of practice — much like doing homework. “Your opponents are not always your best friends.”
The team went against Nikiski High School on October 1st — the last game before playoffs. The football guys knew this game was the final chance to be seeded either first or second. They gave all they had, and that hard work paid off. Seward High School has been named champions for the 2016 football conference. The boys, their coaches, and manager could not have been happier. However, the season is not over. We will be hosting the first playoff game on October 8th, where our Seahawks will be seeking victory against the Houston Hawks.
