Photo by Eddie Lopez
Story by Jaycee Pope, sports editor
After not having an ideal 2021 varsity football season, Estrella Foothills is planning on rebounding this upcoming year. However, the Wolves didn’t start off on the best foot, losing their first game against Apache Junction 48-14. When asked about the first game, senior William Bontrager, a team leader, said, “Obviously, we didn't get the results that we, but for a lot of the sophomores it was their first varsity game, so we will be better.”
Moving forward, the varsity team will try to achieve greater success by working on the basic principles of football. When changing some of the basic principles, the team needs to focus on the minor details of the game. Senior Liam Henry, another team leader, said, “Just the little things, making sure you know the right play and what you’re doing on that play, and giving your one hundred percent effort on each play.”
Adding to that idea, William said, “Understanding the fundamentals of each play and just utilizing football knowledge to improve on that.”
Even though the team has already lost one game, they have not let that deter them for the rest of the season. Liam said, “I think everyone’s expectation or goal is to make the playoffs and win state. I think we can do that. Just because we lose one game doesn’t mean we can’t. We still have nine other games to prove ourselves, the fans, the school, the community that we are not just a bummy [disappointing] team.”
William added, “The leadership on the team and how we bond is way better than last year.”
Varsity is now more familial than they were last year. When talking about the improvements from the previous season, Liam said, “The chemistry and the team overall [has changed]. We are way more bonded than we were last year. There’s extremely a less amount of toxicity. We all hold each other accountable, but it’s not to the point we are bullying each other. We always bring each other up. I truly love playing with these guys. This is like a family. It’s way different than last year.”
In addition to the chemistry change, they also have a diverse team with a sufficient amount of sophomore players who moved up from JV last year. Mike Welch, the head coach of varsity, said, “Well yeah, JV is going to have an impact. I mean, nine players from JV are starting.”
There are also some players playing different positions than what they have played before. Liam says, “I think there’s only one, two, or three returning varsity starters on offense alone. Everyone is playing new positions, our team’s young.”
In addition, William mentioned that sophomore Hone Wray has been named a captain since moving up from JV, “…their [JV players] skill has added to complement our team as resources and leaders on the team.”
The next game in on September 9th at 7 p.m. The Estrella Foothills Wolves will be hosting Northwest Christian. Coach Welch said, “What else do you have better to do, go to Starpoint and look at the lake? No, come out at sunset and see us play.”
Liam adds, “I think they [fans] should come out this Friday, one: to support us, two: to see us win against Northwest Christian, and three: just to have fun. Win or lose, you always have fun at a football game. Come out, support us, we appreciate all the love you give to us.”