By: Drake C.
Redmen Football. That name doesn’t seem to carry much weight in Calgary High School football, compared to the teams from Notre Dame or Saint Francis. Well, at least on the scoreboards, anyway. Despite the numbers, there is more to our team than meets the eye. The Redmen underwent a rough season in a tough division, which our small team could hardly manage. A disappointing season of no wins and seven losses, which included two forfeits due to lack of players, left the team devastated. The Redmen were bent but not broken.
Through all the turmoil, what held this team together? Perhaps it was the bond created by the core players who were at practice every day, no matter how cold or how sore they were. Many of us knew that this year would be our last season of football, so we couldn’t turn our backs on the game. Furthermore, the leadership shown by key players such as Misha Drury and Nolan O’Reilly gave others an emotional boost when it was needed the most, after a tough loss or even after a rough practice. We grew to count on these guys to be there for us the next day and for the next week.
Now, don’t get me wrong, our team boasts some fairly skilled players, such as running back Jared Pitzel, defensive end Henry Suh, and cornerback Perry Yung, as well as the previously stated linebacker, Misha Drury and safety/receiver Nolan O’Reilly. Our only downfall was that with capable players like David Choi playing on both sides of the ball, we simply didn’t have the number of players needed to field a team properly, and that was shown by our two forfeits.
Despite our many losses, this past season was a great one. Ask any player and he can easily tell you a story about the season, be it achieving personal success on the field, breaking tackles or making them. Or perhaps it’s the memories of the coaches, who, on a side note, volunteered for their positions and stuck them out with us the whole season. Football is about more than winning. It is about being part of the team, having dozens of brothers by your side, for the coveted three-month season throughout the whole year. Football is about learning discipline, and overcoming obstacles. Thinking of Redmen football in that light, our team was a grand success.
This season has left room for opportunity. Take our grade eleven’s for example, not to be too cliché, but there is nowhere to go but up. Players like Eric Britton and Sage Sharma, our two grade eleven captains, will do all they can to secure a larger team next year. We all pray for our remaining players to have a better season next year, and in saying so I vouch for all grade twelve’s sadly leaving the Redmen Football program. Hopefully they can pass on the lessons we have learned to our prospective grade ten’s joining the senior team next year and have just as many stories and memories as we do.
