On Thursday, September 5th, 2024, Green Level High School Men’s Junior Varsity football suffered a harsh loss against Broughton High School at the Swamp. With a final score of 30-0, the entire team, as well as the coaching staff has taken valuable lessons from this defeat.
They’ve shown resilience by analyzing what went wrong and adjusting strategies and their play accordingly. Rather than dwelling on the loss, they’re taking this bye week as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve on and off the field. With renewed focus and determination, the team is preparing for their next game stronger than before. They will take the field once again on September 19th.
Every athlete and team is going to suffer a defeat at one point in their career. At the end of the game, no matter the outcome, the most important factor in continuing a strong team structure is reflection. As stated by starter quarterback and captain Josiah Waters, “We were sad because they’re a beatable team and we didn’t play as great as we could and obviously we wanted to win. People played hard but we didn’t play as hard as we have so we have to just move on and work on Cary and we’ll get better but we can’t linger on those losses”.
When prompted with multiple questions, Waters’s answers included an overall theme that even after a loss, the team is responsible for fixing their mistakes and bettering themselves for the next game. This truly highlights how the Men’s Junior Varsity Football team functions as a cohesive unit, working together with a shared goal of improving and performing better for the upcoming season and games. This showcases not just an individual’s effort and mindset, but the collective undertaking that drives the whole team’s progress.
Also stated by JV Head Coach Shawn Patil, “If we’re showing growth and we lose we’re still gaining a purpose. A loss is a reminder of how we learn. Once you start to win you’ve learned from your mistakes of losing and that whole philosophy.” Patil takes a serious approach to the idea that regardless of the final score, the primary objective of the team is simply to progress and advance in their skills.
For him, the true measure of success goes beyond the numbers shining on the scoreboard; it’s about the development of players and the growth of the team. This team is a very talented group of athletes, and despite the score of a game, their strength relies on their commitment to constant improvement. In regards to all student-athletes, a loss is simply a setback unless it is used as a learning opportunity. It is not defeat itself that defines this team, it is how they respond to and reflect on it.
By focusing on growth, this team is fostering a foundation for lasting achievement. This team will attempt to bounce back at their next game, on September 19th, 2024 at Cary High School.
