Battle of The Tribes
September 10, 2021
On Sept. 3, the football team defeated the Portage Indians 14 to 7. This was an intense fight, it being the first DAC win along with the memorial of the beloved Jennifer Chadd. The boys gave it their all in their first home game.
When asked how to prepare for this game, quarterback Luke Neidy (12) said, “[I] studied film. A lot of film. Obviously practice, mental reps… when I’m not on the field just thinking about their defense.”
In the beginning Portage scored first in the 2nd quarter on an interception that was returned 75 yards for a touchdown, but Running Back Xavier Willams(10) tied it up with 1:23 left in the first half with a 20 yard touchdown.
Rick Good, coach of the boys varsity team , is also the new l coach for the boys this year. While it’s his first year with our school, it’s his fourth year coaching overall.
“We’re in the Duneland Conference which is the best conference in the whole area so to win a game in the conference is really nice! We played well at the end, we would have liked to score a few more points but the things we did tonight, we came out on top so we’re excited. Duneland is hard to win games so it’s exciting to win our first one,” Good said.
Before the game began, the fan section organized a moving memorial in honor of Mrs. Chadd, who led the Football Booster Club for many years. She sadly passed away because of complications with COVID-19. Before the game began, Peyton Chadd (11) and his family gathered before the student section, who had blue and white balloons which they released in her honor.
“I feel like we came together as a team, and we really bonded around that. We have always been a family, but I feel like today in this past week we’ve gotten a lot tighter and a lot closer. I was thankful for not just this team, but the amazing fan section and families we had here, not just for football but to bring that together. I think we brought the community together with [the memorial,] and I really hope it wasn’t just about me but about my great mom that did so much for everyone around here,” Chadd said.
Late in the 4th quarter, Jonny Sorensen (10) ran in for a touchdown on a quarterback, to give us a 7 point lead. Later on, we recovered a fumble on the next series to lock up the win. We are proud of our football team for winning! The team will go against Crown Point next match on Sept. 10.
Mateo Cortez, (12), had this to say when asked about the last moments of the game. “I [felt] like we were winning from the first half of the fourth quarter. They weren’t ready like us, and we were bringing blitz’s left and right. And with that, the quarterback didn’t know where to throw the ball so I jumped every right I saw.”
