It is Thursday night, and the Raiders battle against the Rangers. KyRell Black, their wide receiver, gets injured. Coach Jenkins and Coach Arnold run to assist as the football players take a knee.

Players getting injured affected the team negatively.

“Many backup players were new to the missing position, slowing us down overall,” Darwin Jones said.

Kevin Lopez noted the impact of having to change up the plays.

“The players weren’t fully prepared, so the team couldn’t do their best,” Kevin said.

Joshue Saravia cited the lack of depth in the season.

“Some players had to play the whole game with no rest,” Joshue said. “They didn’t have any time to heal, so they couldn’t play their best.”

Josue Bonilla Cruz stated how teammates getting injured impacted the team greatly.

“We lost a lot of attacking power, so it was harder for us to score,” Josue said.

KyRell appreciated what a great leader Malaki Willis became.

“He stepped up and played his hardest for the team to stay motivated,” KyRell Black said.

Malakai appreciated how Coach Jenkins and Francisco Martinez helped the team.

“They gave us positive energy throughout the season and never gave up on the team,” Malakai said. “They always helped others who weren’t the best.”

Vonjay Johnson valued Coach Arnold’s efforts.

“Coach Arnold showed up every day and pushed the team,” Vonjay said.

Cayden Dye also appreciated the coaches.

“Coach Jenkins and Coach Arnold both said we can always be the better team, our backup guys have to step up, and our starters have to be better than the man in front,” Cayden said.

Aside from the difficulties, the football players had good times as well. Darwin’s favorite memory was when he became a starter his second week with the team.

“That made my dad proud,” Darwin said.

Rodrigo Huerta’s favorite moment was winning the first game.

“I played most of the game, and it was a good start for the season,” Rodrigo said.

Robert Kongta valued the first time he got on the field to play in the game.

“It was an exhilarating experience!” Robert said.

Andy Maciel’s favorite moment of the season was their first game.

“We were all so happy!” Andy said.

Francisco remembered a moment shared with Cayden.

“We pancaked this one kid so hard that his helmet flew off,” Francisco said.

Ilmer Mendez’s favorite moment was the final game that the boys got to play together.

“Next year, I won’t be able to play with them anymore,” Ilmer said.

OMauri Hill also remembered that final game.

“It was a night we played our hearts out!” OMauri said.

Coach Jenkins liked that the boys developed as football players over the season.

“I can’t wait until they get to Northside, so I can see the success that they have over there,” Coach Jenkins said.