Can You Stop That Red Machine?

The varsity football team kicks their season off strong, bringing out an overwhelming amount of school spirit. Students and avid Cougar fans always bring the energy to the games. Football season has students dressed in theme every game and getting hype to the drum line. Most are thrilled to see the new head Coach Matthew Reilly and team in action.

Coach Reilly steps up to the varsity head coach position after previously coaching JV football, but now he will take on a greater responsibility. In an interview Coach Reilly says, “I was aware something could change, but not exactly when or how it would go.” However, he said “there was still a shock factor to hearing the news.” Coach continues on about his new position and the season. Coach Reilly was grateful for this promotion.

Despite his nerves for the first game, he felt the boys “were ready and prepared for it.” He continued to bring up how the new coaching staff and players’ leadership have supported this transition.

Coach Reilly explains how the senior players were freshman players during his first year as head JV coach. So, he feels “they have grown with [him] in a way” and having relationships built with players beforehand is a gamechanger. Coach Reilly ends it with a reminder that, “there is always room for improvement no matter how good you are.”

In the season kickoff game, the Cougars faced the South Mecklenburg Sabres. A large contingent of Catholic fans in country attire traveled to South Meck to support their team. Catholic won 49-16, and in a pivotal play, senior Frank Brewer broke up a pass to stop the Sabres in the red zone.

Despite a good turnout at the kickoff game, an electric crowd dressed in neon and black lit up the stands at the first home game against the North Durham Knights. The players displayed a unified effort throughout the game. Junior Nick Bierman’s punishing rushing attacks annihilated the opponent’s defensive line. Catholic won 49-0.

The next game against the Providence Day (PD) Chargers proved to be a shocking disappointment. Weeks leading up to the PD game, it was promoted extensively on social media. Fans were informed the game would be broadcasted live on ESPNU. Anticipation ran high and tickets sold out.

In a pre-game interview Coach Reilly stated, “it’s a big game, but it's for pride and the challenge.” He explained that PD is not in our conference so,“a win or loss here is less important than winning or losing in a conference game later on.” Coach Reilly is focused on the season as a whole and will not let any losses set them back. He is staying positive, win or lose and “a loss can sometimes be the best thing for a team and could learn a lot from it.” He wants to uncover and address weaknesses now, rather than at conferences or state.

The players seemed to have an optimistic pre-game view. Senior Frank Brewer noted, “the offensive and defensive lines have been clicking, so I’m confident in what we're doing and excited to show what we can do especially on ESPNU.” Senior Jackson Gagnon said, “we have really been improving and I think we can do some serious damage against PD.”

The players were disappointed with the outcome. Catholic suffered a tough loss to PD with a final score of 47-7. However, Coach Reilly has stayed positive—he believes the team will bounce back. Of course, as several players have said, the students’ and fans’ support helps the team throughout the season.

So, the season starts with a bang and school spirit continues to grow. Students and fans will continue to show up and show out. Senior Max Tebben expresses that he “hopes the team will win a state championship like they did [his] freshman year.” Congrats to the football team on two good wins and a hard fought game. “Can you stop that Red Machine?” Hell no.