By Abby Painovich
The Jaguar Football Team’s season came an end last Saturday, October 27th, in Deer River. It was the semi-final round of playoffs and the Jags were coming into the game with some momentum; two wins from beating East Central both in the regular season and in the first round of playoffs. The Jaguars held on through the game, putting up 6 points of their own, but it was not enough compared to the 27 that the Warrior had put up by the end of the game. Coach Hopkins is not disappointed in his team, but rather the opposite. He is very proud of the way his team played in their last game. He knew that Deer River was going to be tough competition. But the Jaguars never let up. They fought to the very end; much like their season. Coach hopkins was also impressed at the way the Jaguars turned things around at the end of the season, winning three out of their four last games. “The season was full of building confidence and gaining experience” says Coach Brad Hopkins. “We were a very young team that did not have very much varsity experience coming back.” The Jaguars began their season with six straight losses. They did not let this bring them down however. They took these games and looked at what they could improve in order to have a successful outcome. And that they did. The ended the regular season with two wins heading into the playoffs, where they would beat East Central yet again. “Ending the season with a 3-7 record was not the ideal record, but what we took away from the season will far exceed that,” Coach Hopkins adds. Senior OL, Conor Romans, comments, “It was a very rough season for some of us but in the end it was fun and I would never have given it up.” Even though the Jaguars did not have a winning record, they ended the season with some pretty significant accomplishments. They won the “BIG CAT” trophy between the two big cat schools: the HFHS Jaguars and the Rush City Tigers. Then, in their first playoff game, they were able to fight back from a 16 point deficit and put up 22 points, winning the game 48-42. This shows the tremendous heart the team gained throughout their season. Lastly, almost all of their roster was able to receive a Varsity Letter. Coach Hopkins was impressed with each individual’s ability to step up and fill roles. “We had many players fill in as first year starters... many of them will be returning next year! Having a majority of an offense or defense built of sophomores and juniors will have its moments... but those moments add up to experience…” Next season the Jaguars are hoping to have a winning a season. They expect to be able to do this with their many returning players, most of which are varsity starters which Coach Hopkins believes will be the key to getting back on top. Their returning front line on offense will also be one of their greater strengths as well as returning linebackers. Above all, experience will the most crucial component to a successful season. Coach Hopkins thanks the seniors for their work throughout the years, and looks to forward to an exciting season next year!
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