After a tough loss to Lancing in the first round of postseason play, Pittsburg’s football season comes to an end. 

Treeman Wesley was a junior starter for the dragons this season. Some of his and his team’s goals this season were to win and work effectively as a team. 

“Our main objective was to win and sometimes not to create a brotherhood,” Wesley said. “Football is about brotherhood, especially when we are in high school. You have to have that bond to win. Sometimes I felt like we came up short in certain games because we didn’t have that brotherhood.”

According to Wesley, the football team made big improvements this year compared to last. Some of these include the team’s collaboration, something that sophomore Jace Akins observed throughout the season.

 “We had a lot of improvements with team chemistry,” Akins said. “Ability was improved, more people improved on what they had to work on from last year, and we were a lot better as a whole team.” 

Football is a way for different grades to interact and create friendships. 

“Everyone was nice and I got to experience some things with the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are all nice people,” senior Christopher Morgan said. “As a team, we bonded a lot, got to know each other more, and the coaches helped us get to where we are today.”

Unfortunately for this season, many players obtained injuries that forced them to sit out of games. One of those players was senior Grant O’Doherty, who tore his ACL and lateral meniscus. During week four’s game against Fort Scott. 

“I jumped up for an interception, caught it, landed, tried to plant and run, and I just felt a pop,”O’Doherty said. “I tried to run and I couldn’t. I fell on the ground and couldn’t move.”

Despite his mishap, O’Doherty has been able to stay positive with the support of his teammates. 

“My team was there the whole way. I mean, it was probably two days after surgery, and I had my friends come over to my house, and we were just talking about the next week’s game. I mean, they were there the whole way,” O’Doherty said. “I feel like I’m a leader on this team, and I want them to get as far as possible, and I’m going to be right there with them.”

Webb Fern was the quarterback for the team this season and was a role model and leader. 

“I love my teammates, they were all really great and I really liked the O-line,” Fern said. “They were my favorite. They’re always there, and if you do something wrong, there’s always someone there to give you a high-five or to pick you up.” 

This year, Fern was among the many players that acquired injuries. Although he could not play at the season’s end, it taught him an invaluable lesson. 

“Enjoy things while they last because you never know whenever it’s your last time doing something,” Fern said. “I didn’t know that that was my last game. It just kind of teaches you to enjoy stuff while it lasts.”