By Mateusz Bolcarovic and Dominick Rhodes
The Spartans are off to their best start in more than 20 years!!! The vibes are high as the football team started the season 6-0.
The Spartans opened the year with two big victories over Wheeling and Thornridge. Then, they narrowly beat Shepard by a score of 28-27, they continued on and defeated Bremen, and then went on the road and beat Argo, 48-20. Next up was the Homecoming game, and the Spartans defeated Evergreen Park, 21-7.
This victory was the sixth of the season and secured a berth in the upcoming Illinois High School Association Playoffs. Many factors led to such a great start after a couple of disappointing seasons. Head coach Ryan Pattison knew things had to change in order to find success. And the culture of the program has drastically changed in the last two years.
“There is a higher level of belief and commitment, and when that happens, a higher performance on the field is the result,” Coach Pattinson said.
The expectations are high as the school rallies behind the team. However, the Spartans are taking everything day-by-day and focusing on getting in the right mindset every week.
It all starts somewhere, and for the Spartans it started over the summer.
“I believe our off-season participation was at an all-time high, and the results have shown,” Coach Pattison said.
Players like seniors Alex Soto and Luke Mahoney, junior Jayden Schlosser, and sophomores Kamari Polk and Danny Strelow have ignited the offense with big play capabilities. The defense is responding as well with penetrating line play and tough tackling.
