After the final game of the 22-23 season, the JV football team had lost only one league game to Araphoae making them have the best overall record in the Centennial League. The Centennial League consists of Cherokee Trail, Smoky Hill, Grandview, Arapahoe, Cherry Creek, and Eaglecrest. Their final record for the season was 6-2, losing to only Arapahoe and Columbine, both by a large margin. Columbine unlike Arapahoe, however, is not a part of the Centennial League.
However, the JV football team’s season did not consist of all success. On September 10th, 2022, the Cougars were beaten by the Columbine Rebels 35-7. There was a lot of fear going into the game as described by Cole Johnsons, “I [had to] motivate my teammates to go out there and not be scared to tackle because that was one of our biggest problems to some of the players was tackling and some of the DBs (defensive backs) just couldn’t tackle.” Johnson said. This season, Johnson broke his thumb and will need surgery. He will be out for the rest of the season.
This loss to Columbine hurt the team and their overall atmosphere. Nonetheless, the team knew all they could do was get back to work. Mario Lane Jr. described the practices after the Columbine game as “much more intense [than practices before] because they want us to be our best to be able to win.” Lane Jr. said. This game turned from being a mental blocker to a motivation starter for the team.
Moving forward to September 9th, 2023 on the Columbine turf field, the JV team was back and ready to get their sought-after revenge. The energy and nerves were both high as they got ready to play. The team had been practicing all summer and doing drills to overcome their fears of the Columbine defensive teams. It was time to show the hard work they put in. Sophomore Joe Zvonek described the energy going into the game saying, “The energy against Columbine was different. We knew going into it. It was going to be a war. There was something different about the way people went into that game and therefore approached it in practice. We knew it was going to be the hardest game we’ve had yet.” Zvonkek said.
After four quarters, the score reflected the work they put in. The Cougars won 27-0. Lane Jr. could not hold back his excitement about the win saying, “A lot of the freshmen are now on the JV team so it felt like revenge almost.” The team felt as though all their hard work finally paid off.
The Cougars will face Fort Collins on September 16th at the Cherokee Trail turf field. After the Columbine game, JV teammates are feeling very hopeful about keeping their Centennial League Champions title “Yes [our team is capable] of winning. Especially [after] the dominant win against [Columbine] this Saturday. I think we got it.” said Lane Jr.
