For many of the players, Friday’s game was the last time they sported the West High football helmet. “I just wanted to give a thank you to all the seniors for playing their hearts out this year and a shout-out to the underclassmen who stepped up this year,” shared the team’s defensive end, Chris Pech (12). “I thank you for everything.”

Getting ready for the game, De La Torre waits for his turn during a team warm-up drill. De La Torre, who plays wide receiver and free safety, said the team “didn’t do as well as expected, but we will work hard for next year.”

Gathering into a team huddle, the players discuss strategy and hype each other up for the imminent game. Lineback and receiver Elias Overstreet (10) explained that during the huddle, “seniors give motivational speeches before the game.”

Waiting to be put in the game, Pech surveys the playing field. He described what he will miss most about football: “Playing under the lights on a Friday night with my brothers.”

Lining up for the play, wide receiver and cornerback Ronan Taylor (11) waits for the signal from the ref to start. “I love how much action, emotion, and how challenging football is,” Taylor expressed. “I love the sense of brotherhood in football.”

Handing off the football to Camden Bendik (12), quarterback Jackson Sharman (10) gives West an open opportunity to score. Sharman expressed how he’s “very proud and so thankful to have played with such a great group of seniors.”

Intensely following the game, Overstreet and the rest of the team support and cheer on their fellow teammates. Overstreet described the game as “one of the best games I’ve ever watched.” He also explained why having their families and cheer squad there was nice: “It gives us more to play for. Without them it wouldn’t feel like a regular game.”

Getting in position, both teams anxiously await the referee’s whistle to start. Andrew Van Lerberghe (12), who plays receiver and free safety, described what goes on in his head when he lines up for the play: “It is a rush of emotions and the first thing I do is thank my teammates.”

Speaking to the coach, Taylor formulates a plan to break past North’s defense. North’s game was strong, but West was able to match their energy and stay in the game to the very last minute.

Celebrating their touchdown, Xavier Villangco (12) and Van Lerberghe couldn’t be more excited. West was down by 7 points, and as Pech put it, “if we didn’t score, the game was as good as over ― but we got in and the sideline and stands went crazy.” Thanks to the miraculous touchdown, the score was 28–27, with North in the lead during the last 58 seconds of the fourth quarter.

After West’s phenomenal touchdown, the sidelines and crowd were beyond excited, screaming passionate cheers of encouragement and pride. “Our sidelines were so energetic about every play,” said Taylor. “It was cool to see and hear when your friends and teammates go crazy about a play that you or someone else just made.” He elaborated further: “During the North game, the energy that came off our sidelines was awesome because the team feeds off that energy.”

With less than 58 seconds left on the clock, both teams hustled and gave it their all in order to solidify victory. It wasn’t until only 40 seconds were left that the ultimate winner became clear when North astoundingly managed to score a major touchdown, bringing the score to 34–27.

The team’s quarterback, Sharman, shared that the best part about football is “the brotherhood, teamwork, and competitiveness.” In regards to the game, Sharman stated: “As a team we didn’t do bad, but we could definitely do better.”

Forming a huddle around the head coach, the team takes a knee during the quick game debrief. Losing the game was a hard pill to swallow, but the team was grateful to be able to play with each other for one last time. Van Lerberghe expressed that he’ll “miss the sense of brotherhood,” and the best part of football is “the lifelong friendships I’ve made.” Taylor agreed, adding that they “really came together as a team and really worked together during the game, even though we lost against North.”