After losing in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Rocks Football Team punched their ticket to round two of the playoffs this year, when they beat Dunlap on Saturday, 28-18. The young Varsity Team, coached by Ben Hammer, is 8-2 this season. They hope to keep the ball rolling this Saturday against East St. Louis.

     The Football Team is full of fresh talent, but the seniors definitely have an impact on the younger players. Mateo Pena, a sophomore player on the Varsity Team, says that he is “honored to be able to play up with very talented seniors”, and that they teach him how to be a leader. He states that there next playoff game against East St. Louis will be a tough one, but, “If the team continues to play their hardest, then we have a very good chance of winning.”

 Assistant Coach, Timothy Corwin, says that he always tells his players, “Never give up, and just keep pushing for what you want to achieve.” Coach Corwin says that he has been with this group of seniors since they were freshmen, so, “It has been extremely rewarding to see them all grow into the players and people that they are.” He states that, ”East St. Louis will be a hard team to beat, but if anyone can do it, it is the young men that we have on the team this year.” Pena says that going into the game Saturday, his mindset is to, “Do what’s best for the team, and play my role to my best ability.” If all of the Rocks have this mindset, then they will definitely get a win this Saturday. 

     The Rocks have had a really strong season this year, and hopefully, they tackle the challenge of East St. Louis and come out with the win. They are more than capable of doing so, as long as they play together as a team.