After a long autumn season that was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Reds football team, their season has finally come to an end. They fought through many challenges this season and pulled off some unexpected victories, proving their dedication to not only the game, but the team and its success.
The season started off rocky, when the Reds played one of their rivals, The Classical Academy, at home. They lost by lust over a touchdown with a score of 14 to 7. However, they weren’t phased by one loss and continued their hard work.
Then, they suffered another tough loss at home, when they played the University Bulldogs. The Reds were clearly off on their game, and the Bulldogs were able to defeat them with a final score of 20 to 6.
Morale was low in week three. The Reds needed a win badly, and they fortunately got one. They traveled to Platte Valley in Kersey, Colorado to take on the Broncos. The Reds were able to dominate the game, and quadrupled the score of their opponents and got a much needed win with a score of 48 to12.
After that game, the Reds went on a tear. They took down the Severance Silver Nights in a nail-biter during game four. They snuck by with a score of 34 to 33, they never slowed down, and they kept their foot on the gas for the entire game.
Building momentum, they traveled to Steamboat Springs to play the Sailors. The Reds were merciless in this game, as they dominated the Sailors with a final score of 50 to 7.
They took the same energy into their next game, at home, where they took on the Fort Lupton Blue Devils. Although they put up a fight, the Reds were victorious again. The final score of the game was 43 to 16.
After a four-game win streak, the Reds went to war with the Berthoud Spartans. They seemingly let their guard down, and the Spartans walked away with a 34 to 7 win.
Eaton swept the loss of their shoulders. They duked it out with Forge Christian the next game, and walked away with yet another victory.
The Reds charged head on into their final game of the regular season, when they were victorious over The Academy with a score of 34 to 12.
Senior Quirt Carrol said, “I feel that in the last part of the season, the team really came together and started playing to our potential.”
As the Reds prepared for the playoffs, the future of their season wasn’t looking great. They were ranked almost last in 2A, at the 15th seed but they played with heart. They were able to upset Kent Denver in round one, and defeat the Pagosa Springs Pirates in round two.
DJ Gaona (24), who suffered a season ending injury during the game against Berthoud, said “even though I got hurt, I wanted to keep supporting my team throughout the playoff journey, and I was glad that I got to travel with my senior buddies one last time.”
Unfortunately, they came up against another tough opponent in round three. The Reds were defeated by Rifle High School with a score of 24 to 15, but they left it all on the field, and made it much further than many imagined they would.
