“Young” football team looking for growth in 2022
Matilde Martinez-Navarrete, Staff Writer
Samo varsity football ended their season 0-3 after their last match against Culver City High School on Oct. 29.
During the season, the team only played one home game, the homecoming match, because of COVID-19 infections on rosters. Matthew Kirk, the varsity football coach, says not having the home field advantage was an obstacle for the team.
“It made for more of a disadvantage… I think that made it hard on our guys having to travel every week, on top of everything else. The season could have easily ended up different if we won those games… It’s just been a really weird season,” Kirk said.
Injured early on in the season, Griffin Seals (’24) watched the games closely from the sideline. Looking back, he would give a piece of advice to the team.
“People have to care a little bit more. Being in the locker room, the attitude is a bit joking, so it’s about getting into that winning mentality,” Seals said.
With the rest of the school year remaining, Kirk is looking to strengthen and condition the team for the next season using resources that were not available during distance learning.
“This team needs to buy into the weight room and speed development in the spring and summer for one, and not miss summer workouts,” Kirk said.
Henry Foley (’23), one of the team captains, says he will make sure his teammates follow through with this training in order to do well the next season.
“As a team captain, I will try my hardest to make sure other players regularly attend offseason workouts… My goals for next year are to have a winning record and qualify for the playoffs,” Foley said.
Moreover, Kirk is hopeful when mentioning the team’s improvement and young roster.
“I think with this team the sky’s the limit because of how young we are… Because of the youth on the team, this team will only improve… but they can’t start out slow and need to get wins early in the season to ensure confidence,” Kirk said.
Overall, there were many complications this season, but the varsity football team will be working the rest of the year to ensure success in the next.
Vaughn Jelks/ Contributor