Finishing the season with two straight wins, the football team has a group of underclassmen that the program is excited about developing in the next few years. East football has had struggles in the past decade, including canceled seasons, but they believe that the future looks bright.
East Football went 0-9 last season and only scored one touchdown. But this season the team went 2-6 and scored 71 points in its last two games. A lot of this can be chalked up to the large number of seniors on the team, but head coach Larry Stroud believes that the underclassmen can fill that void and exceed it in the coming years.
“We have a good group of ninth graders that are going to do some great things in about two or three years,” Stroud said.
In the few games the underclassmen have played, there have been several stars that are looking to breakout in the next few years, from a linemen who can block varsity players as a freshman, to a kicker that can knock 40 and 50 yard field goals as a freshman, down to blazing fast receivers that will be serious threats once they grow a little bit.
A major struggle Coach Stroud faces is the recruitment of new players, as school spirit, or the lack of it, has impacted his ability to recruit underclassmen. He hopes to build excitement around the team to boost school morale to make his life easier in the coming years.
“The main thing is for the student body to continue encouraging the kids. We should keep them positive because football is not an easy sport. It’s very demanding,” Stroud said.
The improvement the team has made in just one year has boosted confidence for the players on the team. They want to win games, and are working hard to achieve that. Stroud has also required players to participate in a spring sport in order to keep players strong and in shape for next year.
“Truly look at our scores from last year to this year,” said sophomore Jack Clements, Swiss army knife for the JV team. “You can easily see the improvement. As long as we keep it up, by the time we leave it’s gonna be a lot better.”
Photo by Max Winzelberg/The ECHO
