From beating the unbeatable to overcoming ranking expectations, it’s safe to say the Titan football team had a memorable season, placing third in the conference and qualifying for state playoffs. The team advanced to the second round in a brawl with the East Forsyth Eagles and ultimately lost in an upsetting defeat.
“It hurt to end the season against a team we know we could play better against. We will work harder in practice to prepare ourselves better for next year,” junior kicker Kosta Dupuy said.
Many goals were accomplished this season, including the biggest goal of them all — beating Reagan — which had not been done in four years.
“I think we played well that game and came very prepared. We were confident that we were going to win the game from how practice went that week. It felt very good to end that streak and we were very pumped after the game,” senior defensive tackle Kale Vest said.
One challenging aspect of this season was the many transfers that were welcomed to the team, including senior quarterback Riley Horton, senior cornerback Vanderlei Baldwin, and junior running back CJ Blevins. The unfamiliarity went right away, as they found their belonging in becoming a Titan, and figured out how to work with their new teammates instantly.
“When I first came to the team I had to learn the ropes and learn the expectations that were expected of me. I learned my team skills and we worked together instantly,” Horton said.
Though the Titans took a loss against the Eagles in the conference and state playoff match-up, the effort, skill and determination the Titans showed was palpable. The conference game was extremely close, with the final score being 48-42. The team played until the very last second and gave the Eagles an unexpected challenge that they hadn’t been used to.
Though the team took some losses, they won in many different ways by improving on and off the field and accomplishing many long-term goals the team had worked on for years.