This 2022-2023 school year has been assigned a slogan, ‘BV Due’, one that was made for the purpose of saying that Bella Vista is due for a few wins. And this year, to everyone’s surprise, that actually became a reality. The start of the season was an impressive feat of several games won, even leading to the chance that our team will qualify for Playoffs at the end of the season.
Interested about this sudden spike in our team’s good outcomes, I interviewed a few members of our football team, Gabriel Chance, Cameron Rouse and Jacob Tabler. When asked what they accredited these wins to, all three agreed that the team coming together and working hard with new methods and plays really helped lead to their numerous good outcomes on the field. Tabler explained that he would attribute the wins to “[new] coaching, especially on defense. We really switched up our game and the early teams were caught off guard with our new energy and skill”.
The three were asked to answer why they feel this year was different from years previous, and they all touched on how this year's team is filled to the brim with talented athletes, ones who have perhaps felt the ‘pressure of having to turn the BV football program around and get us winning more games’. The shift in this year’s team is obvious, especially after they secured a few wins under their belt and built up confidence. The unfortunate amount of losses in the past are enough to make anyone discouraged, but the players agree that keeping your head held high and working hard led directly to victory.
I asked the boys to explain what they felt was most important for them and their fellow players to do in order to secure the win. They felt that some of the most important things for the players to do are to know their assignments, positions and plays, as well as practice over and over again. Getting over their fears, and trusting in one another to help each other to victory. Rouse described it as “everyone coming together and doing their jobs…not giving up on themselves and not overstressing each other”. I thought this sentiment was very true, that the unity of their team is very well the biggest difference between a win or a loss.
When asked if they considered themselves an asset on the team, the biggest overall agreement was that their presence is just as important as the others on the team. That even if they may not get as much play time as others, or as many scores, they are all there for each other to play alongside them and cheer their team on. Chance says “Linemen get their hands dirty in the trenches, so QBs and RBs can do their jobs”. Our football team is just that, a team, and without everyone on the team, it wouldn't be complete.
At the time of writing this article our varsity team is out at Roseville working hard hopefully to secure our school another win. Even if they do not win this one, we can all agree that we are cheering them all on and hoping the best for our team.