It is late in the fourth quarter and you are on the field. You have worked hard all game to achieve the goal of winning but as the opposing team lines up in victory formation you lose all hope. Feelings of discouragement enrage you and your teammates as the final seconds of the game wither away. SPASH football fans, players, and coaches wonder why the season didn’t go the way they wanted it to; and perhaps diving into the issue may be the only way to resolve things before the start of next season. SPASH football players as well as coaches believe the lack of communication, community, and size are the reasons why the season did not go as planned. 

Coming Together During Games

First we should begin by looking at what the people see, the games. SPASH as a whole gave up just over 300 points this season (including special teams). When asking two well known defensive players, Bridger Bolen, Varsity Defensive End, and Ty Madlena, Varsity Cornerback, how to improve on the defensive side of the ball, they both shared very similar responses. Bridger Bolen states, “As a defense I would say everyone almost the entire game plays for themselves.” Ty supports that as he believes one of the main reasons SPASH loses games is lack of community within the team. This all shows that everyone needs to play as a team and not for themselves. If the players continue to play for themselves, it could result in a dreadful season next year as well. The offense believes running the ball more may contribute to a higher amount of points put up by the team. Grant Chandonais, Varsity Quarterback, states that running the ball opens opportunities for long passes or big plays. As of the disappointing loss to Appleton West, SPASH’s run/pass percentage is 42%/58%. This shows if SPASH were to run the ball more, it could result in them scoring more and keeping the team in the game.

Practice Makes Perfect

The team also believes that success starts at practice. One thing commonly brought up among players was the lack of practicing together. When asked about practicing together, Grant states, “It’s good to have the offensive line do indy’s (Individual practice) for a bit but most of the time it should be the entire offense together working on everything because all eleven of us have to be able to move the ball in order to score.” This shows that part of the team’s lack of success could be due to the lack of communication. If players practice separately, there is little room for improvement if the team cannot play as a whole during the games. 

Age and Size Applies

Even if these minor mistakes were fixed during the offseason, what about the size and age of the team? When asked if he believes that having a young and small team can be a disadvantage during the games, Coach Eigenberger, SPASH Football head coach and history teacher, states that it does in fact affect the team. He goes on to say that it is something that cannot be changed for now and the team just has to scheme around it. Coach Hawley, SPASH Defensive Line Coach, also brings up the fact that for the most part the coaching staff is brand new and it is going to take a bit for things to connect. This being said not only is the team young, but the coaching staff is also young in terms of working together. Of course these things can only be fixed with time, but it leads us to wonder; what does the future have in store?

Believe

Overall, the team as a whole feels that if these small things are fixed the future for the team is  exceedingly bright. Communication and community are key in order to have success, as well as other minor game plan changes. It is going to take effort from both coaches and players throughout the offseason in order to have success. If everyone is able to work together, next season is going to be a huge difference compared to this season. Peyton Pumper, Varsity Wide Receiver, says, “It’s SPASH football, the future is always bright.” The team will continue to face adversity throughout the offseason into next season. The question we have is, can they do it?