Have you ever walked around the school and heard students talk about the exciting Friday night game? Dressed up for themes, face covered in black and red paint? Well, that’s because they are getting ready to cheer on the East football team, a totally new team filled with new players, coaches and culture.
East High Football team’s new era of the season starts with the new football coach Joshua DeWaard. Knowing all the factors that played a part in last year’s football season at East, DeWaard stepped up and wanted to change for a better season.
DeWaard’s dedication to change the football era of East High School has not only improved the team itself, but the players individually. Michael Lewis is a senior at East High School who has been playing football for three years and has seen how much the team has improved throughout the years he’s been playing.
“I’ve seen plenty of improvement. The coaching staff have been very understanding with things that go on in life especially DeWaard. The players have put in a lot more work on and off the field since he has been here,” senior Michael Lewis said.
The noticeable team improvement is the reason why DeWaard is still pushing the team to better themselves and to be better athletes to allow the team to create a big change for East High School and continue to make new changes throughout the years.
“Absolutely I think the guys are more bought in for the program then in my time here, I think there is a lot of guys that care about how we are doing things and are working really hard for it, I also think there is a big change in the weight room, a lot of guys are working to strengthen their bodies and becoming better athletes and that is where it starts,” DeWaard said.
Football is a sport that takes a positive mindset, dedication, strategy, and most of all teamwork. Teamwork is important in football because without it, there is no team, but not East High School, the football team at East has so much team support from all the players and coaches. With all the support the team gives each other, it has benefited how East High’s football team has performed this year. Teamwork starts with the players but also a good team needs a good and effective coach. Let’s hear it from some of East High Scarlet football players with how much the team has improved its teamwork with help from the new coach.
“Teamwork benefits the team’s performance because, when it comes to a team sport, teamwork is the most important aspect for a team because without it the team wouldn’t have a very good performance but thanks to coach DeWaard we made it happen,” senior Emanuel Adame said.
Adame has seen the teamwork that has progressed this year for East High football and knows how important it has been to the team’s performance. Due to this new and improved team that DeWaard has made this year, East High School beat schools they have lost to two years in a row. During those two years, East has been seen as a losing program and it made the team feel and act like a losing program. Now that DeWaard stepped in and helped the team realize that they can be a winning program, they can become better athletes, creating that positive mindset really reflects on how East plays as a team.
