Through thick and thin, the Freedom football team attempts to keep their tenacious spirit alive as they defend their new identity.  The Bulldogs have continued to fight to keep their reputation afloat after the seniors from last year left. One of the seniors was Carter Slowinski, who was the team’s quarterback from last season. The team has tried its best to keep the flow of the game going with the new positions being filled, and they have had many games to try and put forth their best effort to maintain a decent position in the standings. 

The Bulldogs played four more games since last month, falling three out of the four times to the opposing team. 

On Sept. 16, the football team played Ellwood City at home. The Bulldogs ended up victorious in this game, winning with a score of 28-0. Senior Damian Grunnagle played an immense role in the victory, with a total of 44 yards ran throughout the entirety of the game. Needless to say, there were a plethora of other players who contributed to the success that night. A significant part of the team’s success was unequivocally junior Cody Patterson. Patterson had two touchdowns during the game against Ellwood City, with a total of 39 yards ran over the course of the four quarters. Patterson, being one of the upperclassmen, has contributed in large to the team’s success. He is one of the most statistically well-rounded players on the team.

       “It feels good. I would not be able to do anything without all 11 guys though. Credit has to go to my offensive line too. Without them, I would not be able to run the ball at all. Also, credit goes to my other running backs, as they block for me when I get the ball. Lastly, I want to give credit to my quarterback,” Patterson said.

Another factor that contributes to the success of the football team is getting the underclassmen ready to play. The underclassmen can be considered any player that is of the freshman or sophomore level, and it is known that they could be a huge help at any second. 

           “The underclassmen give us a good look every week, Monday through Thursday, to prepare us for Friday nights, so we return the favor by giving them good looks as well and going 100% during practices. Also, so that they can get a feel of the game a little bit, and with this, they are prepared for when they get playing time,” Patterson said. 

Making a full circle, the football team got ready in anticipation of their Homecoming game on Oct. 7. The Bulldogs faced off against the Neshannock Lancers. Despite their efforts, the Bulldogs fell to the Lancers with a score of 39-0. However, there were stellar players worth mentioning during this tough battle. Junior Tyler Schultheis contributes to nearly every play, being that he is the quarterback.

         “It feels really good because I really see how well we all work together as a team, and how everyone plays a part in scoring for our team,” Schultheis said.

On Friday, Oct. 14, the Bulldogs faced off against Mohawk. The team came out  with a loss of 42-13. The touchdowns for the Bulldogs were all scored by Damian Grunnagle. Grunnagle ended the game with a total of 20 running yards, 19 of those yards being from a fumble return in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs will face off against Beaver Falls for a shot at redemption. This is also the designated senior night for the team as well, where each senior will be recognized before the game.