The best starting record in at least seven years. That’s what the Oakton football team has achieved this year. After an altered season last year due to COVID-19, where, according to Coach Morgan, it was “tough to kind of get [their] feet going,” due to the new restrictions, the team has started a winning streak, effectively raising school spirit and participation in game day themes. 

Despite challenges, the season last year seems to have acted as an offseason practice for the team, leading to improvements in the long run. Another attribute for the newfound success is the additions to the team, the coaching staff, and the coaching methods. This year, there are new players from the baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and basketball teams that have not played for the school previously. According to Coach Morgan, there was a switch in the offense to better fit the player’s abilities, specifically the quarterbacks and receivers.  

The practice schedule is also a huge contributor to the wins. The team practices four days a week, Monday through Thursday with a game on Friday and the weekend off. The coaches don’t take that time off, though. Instead, they do virtual work to prepare the players, so they are able to maximize the time they already have rather than adding more practices or practice time. Luckily, this method has worked so far, and there have not been any added practices. On Mondays, practices are in the morning, so the players can have the afternoon off for school work and/or family time. Those practices  are spent focusing on the team and what they did well on Friday and what needs to be improved. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are more intensive practices, focusing on the other team’s strategies and working out a game plan. On Thursday, the team focuses on what they liked about Tuesday and Wednesday and finalizes their plans. 

Mindset is also a huge part of football. Rather than focusing on winning the game as a whole, the team focuses on playing for each quarter. As Coach Morgan says, they have to “be better than the other team” in each quarter. They try to ignore their record during the game and only focus on winning each quarter. 

Without a doubt, Oakton is anticipating a great season from the football team.