Football games have been one of the most popular events for students and parents to attend during the season. Not only has watching the games themselves been a pleasure but also everything that a football game entails. Watching the cheerleaders recite cheers, listening to the band play and watching the halftime show. Although the season has concluded, the team has already started to prepare for the following year ahead of them by reflecting on what they could have done better and their achievements.
“I think that we could better ourselves by working on team chemistry, the more you pick out what other teammates are doing, you start to lose sight of what you’re doing and thats how we lost a lot of the games,” Charles Brenckle (11) said.
On Friday, Sept. 27, the Bulldogs traveled to Beaver Falls to face the Tigers, where they triumphantly won with an ending score of 20-0. During the first quarter, the Bulldogs put 13 points on the board, with Isaiah Leasha (12) scoring the first touchdown of the game. Following behind him, Cooper Young (12) scored the second touchdown and Garrett Drutarosky (11) coming through with the field goal kick. While in the second quarter, no points were scored, during the third quarter the Bulldogs managed to put another seven points on the board with another touchdown from Leasha. Neither team managed to score during the fourth quarter, thus concluding the game and allowing the Bulldogs to take home another win. The following week on Oct. 4, the Bulldogs hosted the Riverside Panthers for the Homecoming game. The game concluded with a tough loss for Freedom with a final score of 14-0.
On Oct. 11 the team traveled to Union to face the Knights and Damsels. The game concluded with a score of 36-21, favoring Union. The week after, the Bulldogs hosted Mohawk on Oct. 18, where the Bulldogs were defeated by the Warriors with a final score of 48-27.
The football season ended for the Freedom Bulldogs on Oct. 25 when they faced Western Beaver on home turf, the game ended in a final score of 42-10, favoring the Beavers. Before the game, the seniors on the team were commemorated for their achievements during their time playing as Bulldogs. There were nine seniors on the team: Isaiah Leasha, Austin Anderson, Cooper Young, Dakota Roberts, Adam Rhoades, Carter Osadciw, John Tatko, Wyatte Lewis and Jake Hilberry. Losing one of the starting quarterbacks, Leasha, the team hopes to recover in the following season.
As the season ends, players on the team not only reflect on their season but also remember all of the memorable moments that they shared.
“The most memorable part of the season so far was in week one, when we played against Quaker Valley. We were able to stop them from scoring on fourth down, which allowed us to take a knee on offense and win the game,” Elijah Cottrill (11) said.
As the season concluded, both players and fans were sad to wave goodbye to the Friday night lights. The Bulldogs begin to prepare for the season ahead of them with off-season training that will make them bigger and better than ever.