After opening the season with three wins, the football team lost three consecutive games to St. Genevieve High School, Pasadena High School and Burroughs High School. These losses came after injuries to wide receiver Jason Thompson ’22, quarterback Henry Wendorf ’23 and running back and outside linebacker Josh Dixon ’23.

As he dove for a tackle during the game against  St. Genevieve High School Sept. 10, Dixon said he felt a pop in his hip. Dixon said he would soon discover that this feeling was the result of an avulsion fracture and said injuries like his have left the team short-handed at many positions.

“All the injuries have left our team [moving] a lot of people around, especially some of our younger guys,” Dixon said. “I would definitely say it’s been tougher with a lot of guys banged up, but we [are] still pushing through it.”

The team lost 56-28 against St. Genevieve High School, 52-13 against Pasadena High School and 21-20 against Burroughs High School. Football Program Head Aaron Huerta said both wins and losses shape the team’s new perspective on the season.

“Getting some wins under our belt helped us gain some confidence,” Huerta said. “I think sometimes you learn more about yourself after a loss. We scheduled those games to challenge ourselves, and I think it’s going to pay off down the road.”

Looking back on the losses against St. Genevieve High School and Pasadena High School, Thompson said team morale issues and injuries contributed to the recent defeats.

“We just played some talented teams and also had some key players go down,” Thompson said. “[St. Genevieve High School and Pasadena High School] had a few talented players, and as a team, we were not playing with the same effort and energy after going down.”

Lineman Kai Faucher ’23 said the team needs to increase its competitive attitude to start a new winning streak.

“We have played two very physical teams in the past two weeks, and we simply have not been able to match that intensity,” Faucher said. “For the back half of the season, we need to play up to our competition and stay physical. I think that will be the name of the game.”

Faucher said the team came off a productive offseason, during which players focused on football’s mental challenges.

“The team, if anything, is tough mentally,” Faucher said. “More than in any other year of football for me, this offseason’s focus has been on blocking out the voice in your head that tells you to quit, whether that be because of heat, frustration, pain or any other emotion.”

Faucher said if the proper adjustments are made, the team could push for an undefeated record in its remaining games.

“During midseason, it can be easy to lose the vision and goals that we had at the beginning of the season,” Faucher said. “Most importantly, we need to get over our injuries, of which there are many, and to continue improving and building as the weeks pass.”