After a tough loss in their previous game against the Hoyas, these Danes are eager and determined to earn a win. “The mentality is definitely ‘WIN’,” Shaun Boyer emphasizes when asked about the team’s mentality going into the homecoming game. Boyer explains that the team’s intensity has increased, with everyone matching each other in the weight room and competing hard on the field. While the school shows extra support and spirit for the team, Boyer clarifies that he plans to treat this game with “the same amount of focus and the same amount of drive,” and that it is “just a new team on a different week and another chance to compete hard.” But with this game, there is an increasing amount of distractions for this team. The homecoming dance is following the game, and for many of these athletes, their focus wants to shift from a competitive standpoint to a social point of view.
Although the hype and support within Denmark’s school walls grow, the team plans to remain focused on their game plan. They plan to treat this game with the same amount of effort and grit as all the others, no matter how their surroundings treat it. The loss against Harrison is not only fuel for their desire to win this game, but it also serves as a lesson learned. As each game passes, these athletes learn more about their strengths and weaknesses as a team, and take it with them for the next games. Every game provides them with a better understanding of what to improve on, including this homecoming game. Win or lose, they take with them an experience they can look upon going into the next game.
“The mentality is definitely ‘WIN’,”
With that being said, the hard work leading up to this matchup paid off for the Danes. Denmark added their first win to their record and took the win over Pebblebrook, 15-8; they forced three turnovers and held the Falcons off the scoreboard for most of the game. The defense executed and guarded the Falcons out of their end zone, protecting the lead and securing the win. Noah Laban, a sophomore, explained how he felt the team flipped the switch on their season after getting their first win. Laban scored a touchdown to enlarge the score gap. It was a “must-score drive after having to settle for a field goal.” His contributions to the game were impressive as an underclassman in varsity sports. After listening to their coaches’ end-of-game speech, they were met with the student section who were rushing onto the field to celebrate their victory. Laban states, “We were excited. We needed this after the last two games we should have won.” The win brought relief, but also hope, after multiple, winnable and hard losses.
After the football players took pictures and received reassuring hugs from their families, the athletes looked forward to returning to another week of football. As they approach the half-way mark of their season, the team plans to keep working together and putting in the work for success. The cycle continues; waking up to early practices and weights, yearning for another win to add to their record. When Ian Galvez, a junior, was asked what the team took from this homecoming game, he responded, “We can make things happen as long as we work hard and stay locked in.” The value of one victory is far more influential than others may think; this win for the Danes fuels them for the rest of the season. The expectations rise for them, and they are faced not only with pressure, but with excitement for competition. With a taste of the victory from last week’s homecoming game, they become that much more hungry for another.
