In a highly anticipated football matchup last Friday night, Pascack Hills faced Ramsey High School. Unfortunately, Hills lost the game with a score of 21-14. Five varsity players were interviewed after the game to understand what went wrong and what will be changed to ensure the team succeeds this season.

Senior Josh Wright, the starting defensive end (DE) and left tackle (LT), was asked what his mindset was going into the game and what the team will do differently, post-loss.

“We went into the game with the fact that we aren’t going to blow this team out…The boys want to win and are fired up. We plan on doing great things. My full trust is in our staff to draw up concepts to put us in a position to win games,” he said.  

Senior Connor Ohnikian, the starting quarterback (QB) in addition to wide receiver (WR) and safety (S), had this to say about Friday’s game:

“I was expecting to win this game and so was everyone on the team. We watched film, prepared well, and knew we would definitely compete. We just fell short. We are going to see a new defense next week from Dwight Morrow so we will have to change some things offensively,” he said.

Inspiring affirmations and insightful recognitions seem to be spearheading the team’s success so far in addition to training and talent. With this loss, each player has responded with a plan to succeed, passion, and confidence. For example, Senior Brendan Singleton, starting left guard (LG) and defensive tackle (DT), is hopeful for the season’s future. 

“Next game, as a program, we are going to work very hard to add another win. As long as we give 100% effort every play, we will be fine,” he stated. 

Junior Ryan Lafferty, starting LG, expressed his disappointment but is now further determined to prove that Hills is a force to be reckoned with.

“Going into the game we knew they were fast and physical but we could hang with them on any day. I know a lot of people expected us to lose this one but everyone in our program knew that this was a winnable game. We just have to break down the film, change some things offensively and we’re going to be good for the next game and for the rest of the season,” he said.

Senior Sam Lundgren who is the starting DE and tight end (TE) shared the same consensus as the rest of the team: they were ready to beat Ramsey but this loss has not discouraged them; they will come back better than ever.

“This week, the team will be cleaning up some of the sloppy mental errors made on Friday and work to not make them in next week’s game. This team is not reflected by the record. We still have a lot of hope for this season and I’m going to keep working to finish this season on a high note,” he said confidently.

An upsetting loss last Friday but the Hills football team will work hard, as they promise to bring the ‘heat’ against Dwight Morrow this Friday, October 4th.