Football Edged Out By Taft
This Saturday, Big Red Football played its first game of the season against Connecticut’s Taft School. After a close and demanding game, Exeter was defeated with a tight, five-point difference, and a final score of 33-28.
The game proved challenging, but Big Red football put up a strong fight and endurance. Head Coach Glennon shared his hopes for the first game. “The expectations were to have a great effort, play as a team and compete really hard,” Glennon said. Assistant Coach Bond also added some highlights he witnessed throughout the night, “There were a lot of great plays throughout the game, but the biggest highlight for me was the fight our team showed. They never put their heads down, they never gave up and they put themselves in a position to win.”
Football had to overcome some hurdles throughout the night, but many players stayed tough under pressure and gave outstanding performances. Senior Gannon McCorkle went on to shoutout his teammates for an impressive performance on the field, “Personally, I was taken aback by upper Wilson Muller’s game; he made plays all over the field.” Glennon spoke about the great work ethic and effort throughout the game. “Many highlights were made by many of the members of the team, especially being in a position to have a shot at winning the game with less than a minute left.”
With the Taft game being so early in the season, the players are still adjusting to playing together as a whole team for the first time. McCorkle talked about his impressions of the past game and hopes for the rest of the season, “Though we played well, there is a lot to improve on. Our offense still needs to work out some kinks and the guys need to become more comfortable in their positions.” Coach Bond also shared his expectations going into the game Saturday, “I told the team they had what it takes to win, they just needed to believe that they could. I knew Taft would present some challenges that are difficult to prepare for, but our guys were ready.”
Senior Ademide Kosoko also expressed the team’s motivation for the start of their season, “I think our main goal as a team was to make a statement that night and to let all the other teams in the league know that Exeter Football is back and better than ever.” Reflecting on last week’s game, McCorkle added, “Even though we lost I still walked off the field knowing that this is not the same old Exeter. I am very excited to see what is in store for us with the remainder of the season.” According to Coach Glennon, Exeter Football has been training well before school began, with“hard and fast-paced” practices, starting as early as August 29th.
The 41-man-team still has a substantial amount of games for the rest of the season including more home games against competitors such as Phillips Andover and Suffield Academy in the near future. Exeter Football hopes to continue to thrive in their challenging environment and secure victories as the season progresses.