The stadium lights gleamed off the helmet of Senior Cody Jackson as he carried the football into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season.
“It makes me feel good when I score. It makes me believe that we can beat a team,” Jackson said. “It just helps us work better as a team, because it gives us the drive and motivation to win.”
The football team declared a strong start to the year by defeating Madison for the season opener. It was the first win of an opener since 2002 against East Henderson.
“I worked all summer just to get to where I am and I’m pretty proud of that,” Junior Tanner Bullock said. “We have a pretty good defense this year. We’re undefeated in conference so far.”
Seniors Brian Albea, Cody Jackson, William Crouch and Dustie Fender were named IWANNA’S Best of the West. As the season continued, it was obvious that these players are indeed the best of the west.
“Our goals are to win more games than losses. We definitely want to make playoffs, because we haven’t made playoffs in three years,” Fender said. “If we can do that I feel like we will accomplish something we should’ve done a long time ago.”
After a close loss to Hendersonville, the team struck back with a triumphant win against a then undefeated North Buncombe. Fender had two touchdowns while Jackson owned the field with 13 carries and 136 total rushing yards.
“It was a good game. With the reality of senior year, I knew I had to step up and be a leader. We wanted to make history and we did that,” Jackson said.
Throwing for over 200 yards in the first half, three touchdowns, and going six for six, quarterback William Crouch earned the title of Times News Player of the Week for his game at North Buncombe.
“I was not expecting to have the type of game that would earn player of the week. It was by far the best performance I’ve ever had and it felt great. Our whole offense was clicking and blocking from our line made it possible for the receivers and I to make plays,” Crouch said. “We moved the ball like we’re capable of doing and we’re hoping to carry that into the next few games.”
This season a sophomore from junior varsity has stepped up to the varsity team. Landon Owen is a starting linebacker. Owen is ranked seventh in Western North Carolina for 81 total tackles.
The team beat Smoky Mountain for the first two-win streak of the season, but was defeated the following Friday night against Pisgah. The final score was 3-0. Jackson had 11 carries for 53 total rushing yards. According to maxpreps.com Jackson averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
“I like playing offense the best because you can score, you can change the game and I feel like it gives me a way to be a leader on the team,” Jackson said.
This is the most successful season the team has had in over 30 years. The team has finished the season with a record of 7-4 in conference. Many seniors have stepped up and to lead the team to a winning season.
“We have 21 seniors who have been working hard this season,” Head Coach Paul Whitaker said. “They’ve been working hard on the practice field every day and they have shown that senior leadership goes a long way.”
By Hannah Corn and Sam Polivina
