Excitement fills the air on Friday nights as the stands explode with the sounds of shaking jugs and ringing bells. As fans look towards the school, they see the football players emerging from the locker room 2 x 2 as they take the field.
Concerning how he prepared for the season, senior Ike Young said, “I involved myself in weights every morning, went to camp with the team, and led the team through 7 on 7s every Wednesday to prepare for the season.”
All summer long, the coaches held optional workouts for the team, which many players said benefits the team. Coach Cully Welter said it gives “the players confidence for the season. If you put in the time, you’re going to be successful on the field to at least reach your potential, and our kids did a good job working hard.”
Young said he is most excited for the game against St. Joe because “it’s the leading game and a good rivalry.”
Expressing his stress before and after games, Welter replied, “That’s hard, I’ve been doing this for 30 plus years, and I feel like it gets harder to handle that for some reason. It should get easier as I gain perspective in my old age, but it’s tough because you really just want the kids to do well, so you try to look at the big picture and enjoy the process and not think about the outcome, but that’s easier said than done.”
Young described a tradition as a true bond the team has, saying, “As a team, we listen to music and walk out together, hand in hand, to start off the game.”
Come cheer on the freshman football team at home at 5:30 tonight, as well as the jv and varsity players at 7pm at Illinois Valley Central High School on Friday night.
Kenzie Bundy, Staff Writer
bunke27@sages.us
The Sage Informer 
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