After a hard and unusual season due to COVID-19, the boys’ varsity football team managed to pull through the hardships by dominating the field at their championships against Saint John Paul Academy ll. After working tirelessly for months, the team was able to win six out of the seven games they played. 

“Everybody was locked in and had the same goal, which was to win a championship,” said senior running back Carlous Burch.

The win is credited to the harmonious plays of the team. Even with people doubting them, the boys were able to take home this win. It was not just the offense scoring touchdowns that helped them win; the defense played an essential role. Each position was able to do their part and when they all came together, they worked seamlessly. 

“Our team’s defense was really good this year; we had a shutout in the second round of the playoffs and held teams under ten points in three other games,” said junior defensive back Barrett Joy.

Because of COVID-19, the team’s practices were restricted. It was harder for the coach to have one-on-one time with the athletes because they had to split into groups based on their position, which also limited their playing time together as a team. However, with the hard work they put in, the team was able to make the most out of their practices.

“We were put in a difficult situation with COVID and the kids did a tremendous job of simply going out there and playing football,” said coach David Angel. “They did a great job of not letting outside distractions affect their play. They were incredibly resilient and tough.” 

Not only were the practices inhibited because of COVID, but the pre-season conditioning also got cut short, which could have affected the player’s stamina and ability to play long games. They were only able to start practicing in September when they would usually start during the summer. 

With conditioning being cut short, the team had to find other ways to take home the championship title. The week before the game, they worked hard to get down their plays and studied the team they were up against to be prepared for the plays the rival team would make. 

“We watched so much film of the other team that we knew what play was coming before they even ran it,” said senior safety Robert Samay. 

To ensure their victory, Boca High decided to keep their plays a surprise for the other teams so no one could predict their strategy.

“Mixing up the way we played so that it was never the same thing each week and other teams could never expect our next move was definitely the way we got so far,” said senior defensive end Ashton Gillotte.

The team’s resilience throughout the course of such an unfamiliar football season was crucial for defeating their opposing teams. While boys’ varsity football has never seen a situation quite like the one that COVID-19 created, they still found a way to adapt and crush the competition in the true Bobcat spirit.

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