‘Boro football ‘Does the Work’ to prepare for Red & White game

On Saturday, Edinboro spring sports such as softball, lacrosse, tennis and track will all be competing. Alongside these spring sports will be one fall sport returning to Sox Harrison Stadium for their annual Red and White game.

The Edinboro football team will line up for kickoff at 4 p.m. to face off against...the Edinboro football team. This game is a scrimmage-like contest that pits the ‘Boro offense against the defense. Throughout the spring semester, the team has been practicing, and in the month of April they opened up practices to the public, allowing them to come and see the hard work they’ve been putting in.

“We have really accepted our mantra of ‘Do the Work’ and really have grown in our work ethic and how hard we practice,” said Head Football Coach Wayne Bradford.

The team will be full of experience in fall 2018 with a total of 18 seniors and almost a dozen juniors on the roster. 

“Having a lot of older guys on our team, we’ve all been through the spring grind and know how hard it gets,” explained redshirt junior Walter Fletcher. He went on, “They’re helping the mid-year and younger guys, and our team is really starting to come together.”

Many of the players have high expectations for their team going into the season, including making it far in the PSAC playoffs and hoping to earn a championship ring. 

“We have 18 seniors on this team, and we’ve been through the ups and downs of this program. A fantastic way to end it all would be to win the PSAC championship,” said junior linebacker Trey Hall.

Hall continued: “The team chemistry has improved, and everyone is playing together as one. If we continue to play together, we’re going to be very hard to beat next year.” 

Fletcher talked specifically about a skill he’s been looking to improve. “My pass blocking has been something that I wanted to use this offseason to work on, and Coach O’Neill has been a big help on sharpening my technique. It’s something that I’ve improved on this spring.”

“I think the team has grown in a lot of ways. I think we have grown closer over these past few weeks,” acknowledged Andre Dowdell Jr., a wide receiver for the team. “The competition has been increasing, which has caused us to perform better. And we are learning how to overcome adversity, which I believe is very important.”

Bradford talked about the advantages spring practices and games bring. 

“This weekend is more about identifying some guys who haven’t gotten enough repetitions in the spring and allowing them to compete and grow, and [it’s also about] identifying some guys who have been around and who have had plenty of reps and maybe getting them a little rest or making sure that they get through clean and healthy,” Bradford said.

Many of the team members had mixed opinions on whether or not Saturday’s game will be an indicator of where the team will stand next season. Overall, the player’s responses displayed two common themes, the first one being that they have been doing the work. Each player mentioned the growth that they have personally seen in their teammates and in the team as a whole.

Freshman quarterback Levi Becker had one response to sum it all up, “I think Saturday will show how competitive we are, but we definitely have a lot of room to grow as a team before the season comes around.”

The second common theme was that they are all looking forward to seeing that all of the hard work that they have put into their spring practices has truly paid off.

“I look forward to going out and competing,” stated redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Tomko. “Our defense is very experienced and is always a great matchup. They make the offense better each day, and I look forward to seeing our hard work this spring pay off.”

Overall, the team is not only prepared and excited to get out on the field Saturday, but next season as well.

“We’re all ready to showcase the hard work that we’ve put in this offseason,” explained Fletcher.

Dowdell Jr. added: “I am looking forward to a great season. We have been through a lot this offseason, and I am ready to start this chase for a conference championship.”

Madi Gross can be reached at sports.spectator@gmail.com

 

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