Image From: Gilberto Quinones. Top: TAK Stadium
As the football season comes to a start, the autumn air settles in and excitement builds both on and off the field. If you’ve been to some of the games, you know the energy is high. But for those that haven’t been able to attend a game yet, let’s look closer at how the team is playing, who the star players are, and any struggles the team is facing.
The 2024-2025 season has started off with some ups and downs for Washington High School’s football team, with a current record of 2-2. Junior David Miranda shared his thoughts on how his team is playing so far. “There’s definitely a lot we can improve on, and there’s definitely a lot we could work towards fixing, like, watching more film,” Miranda said. It’s clear that the team has shown a lot of promise, but there is still room for improvement.
One of the recent highlights has been Zamari Gregory’s memorable kickoff return for a touchdown against Navato at the start of the game. It set the team off with a great start. “Zamari’s touchdown against Novato was the first play of the game. It was really exciting,” said David.
Jumping into the future, there are a few games that teammates and fans are looking forward to most. Miranda is particularly excited about the game against Maria Carrillo on October 4. “Maria Carrillo is a really good team, and it’ll help us in the rankings, and everyone’s always excited about playing American because it’s a rival team,” he explains. The Battle of the Boulevard was a game that everyone, fans and players alike, was looking forward to. Cameron Carter, one of Miranda’s teammates, shared his excitement as well. “I’m most looking forward to the Battle of the Boulevard against American because I know we can win that game,” Cameron said. The Huskies stayed strong throughout the game on Friday with a final varsity score of 51-12. JV took home an impressive win as well with a final score of 46-0. History has once again repeated itself with a Washington sweep over American.
So far, this season has been a learning experience for the players. Carter stated that physical preparation is one of the most important lessons he’s learned. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned this year from football is that if you’re not in the weight room, you’ll get injured,” he said. It takes nothing but hard work from players both on and off the field.
When it comes to leadership, Esean Johnson is the team’s MVP according to Carter. “I think the team’s MVP so far this year is Esean Johnson because he’s carried us and he’s a good leader,” he says. Johnson’s role as a leader has influenced the team to try their best and play as hard as they can.
Like any sport, Washington’s football team has faced their fair share of challenges. Carter shared his thoughts on handling losses. “After a tough loss, you have to brush it off and focus on the next game and not let it bother you,” he states. This mindset is important to make sure players don’t give up or lose their confidence.
More lessons, challenges, and exciting moments are to come as the football season progresses. The team is working very hard to make the most out of their season and to achieve their goals. If you haven’t come to watch one of their games yet, free up some of your time because it’s worth it to watch hard work pay off.
Lukas Lyssand is a junior at Washington High School. He was born and raised in Redwood city for 5 years and moved to Fremont in 2013. This is Lukas’ first year on the paper. He’s interested in writing about music, nature and sports. His favorite hobbies are skateboarding, playing the drums and guitar, exploring nature and listening to music. His future plans are to graduate highschool and go to a good college, but he doesn’t know what he wants to major in just yet.