A football team’s fantasy: Varsity and JV currently 5-1
It’s halfway through the football season, and the Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity football teams are 5-1, while the Freshman team remains undefeated at 5-0.
Varsity football head coach, Gary Fabricius, said that this is unique as teams usually vary in strength. This year, however, he attributes the all-around success to good players.
“They’re showing up to practice, they’re trying to get better,” Fabricius said.
The Varsity and JV teams’ streaks were broken by the game on the 25th against the private school Cathedral Catholic. The final score was 42-28.
Going into the game, Fabricius knew it was “going to be a tough match,” as Cathedral Catholic can legally recruit players.
Varsity defensive end, David Foldes, senior, has played on the team for four years of high school. He feels that the new students and transfers from other schools that have joined the team represent a significant change since his freshman year.
“I feel like the class of 2015 always had potential, but with the coaches and new students, we have even more,” Foldes said.
He also recognizes the major qualities of the team that have contributed to their success: “playing together, trusting each other, and everyone does their own responsibilities.”
Foldes expresses optimism regarding their chances in league, but he recognizes that team still has a long way to go.
Curtis Pollara, senior and varsity center, said that recovering from the loss against Cathedral Catholic is the team’s greatest challenge at the moment.
As for the rest of the season, he adds “we have tough teams we’re facing, but we will continue working hard to beat them.”
Pollara’s goals for the season are to “continue playing together as one, and we will continue to win.” His personal objectives include working hard and furthering the success of his team.
“I attribute the team’s success to the fact that we’re really hardworking, we treat each other like family, and we stick together through win or loss,” Pollara said.
Pollara has high hopes for moving past their recent loss. “Even though we did lose to Cathedral Catholic, it was still a hard-fought game, and we’re still going to respond, we’re still going to keep fighting, and it will still be a great season,” he said.
After that loss, the Panthers bounced back with a vengeance against Simi Valley High School (Simi).
The Freshman team won on Thursday night, 41-19. On Friday afternoon the JV team also beat the JV Simi team, 56-35. Finally, later on Friday night, Varsity dominated 42-17. This most recent sweep is the Panthers’ fifth this season.
