In 2014, the boys football team ended with an overall record of 1-9. In 2017, the athletes scored a seasonal record of 2-9. In both 2021 and 2022, the team held an overall record of 0-9. 

Put bluntly, the boys football team has not had a good season in just about 10 years. 

With a current record of 4-5, it’s clear that the fate of football has taken a turn for the better.  Although the team has had a bad reputation, they’ve managed to bounce back and prove everyone wrong with their improvement, thanks to the coaches. 

“This year we had a really strong coaching staff,” Varsity wide receiver Nasim Abdul-Malik said. “We are so grateful to have the coaches that we have because not every school is blessed to have coaches that actually care about them. They put us first before all other things.”  

The team won their season opener against Mendez High School with a score of 28-21. Shortly after, they experienced a blowout against Del Oro High with a score of 47-0. Winning by four points against Reseda High School, they beat out Canoga Park by 30 points. 

“I think winning the first game of the season was just an indescribable feeling because for such a long time, our school has had such a bad football team,” Abdul-Malik said. “Winning that first game gave us a chance to finally prove ourselves, to prove that we were not bad and that we’ve put in the work to get better.”

After winning the first game, interest arose all across the school.

“After we won our first game there was a huge amount of people that wanted to join,” Abdul-Malik said. “But at the end of the day, I think more people wanted to join not to play football but to look cool in a jersey and be a part of a winning team.” 

Although they are proud, some players think that this could have been the reason they failed in their next few games. The team experienced a losing streak. The Wolves were beaten 55-7 by Verdugo Hills and lost to Hollywood High School 60-14. 

“After winning our first game, our team felt on top of the world,” Varsity outside linebacker and defensive captain Hector Gonzalez said. “It felt great, it was like a buzz. But that also blinded us and made us not worry too much and then we got two losses straight after. We can’t let something like that influence our mind that much.” 

According to Gonzalez, losing to Hollywood High was his worst football experience because he wasn’t playing to his fullest potential.

“I felt horrid, like I didn’t want to be there and like I had no place being there,” he said. “It felt as if something was holding me back and I was missing a piece of myself. But I learned what the sport was really about . It is supposed to be played with energy and discipline and is meant to be fun.” 

Despite their losses, the team persevered. 

“No matter how many games we lose, we always come back the next week and practice hard and just prepare ourselves for whatever’s coming, because we gotta keep fighting,” Nasim Abdul-Malik said.

Last season, the team faced several dilemmas. Unexpected changes in coaching staff, with a number of coaches leaving the school, strongly affected the team. Many players quit the sport.

“Our coaching staff has been really good to us,” varsity right tackle Omar Serafin said. “They’ve been doing everything correctly. I don’t think they’re gonna leave, and I don’t want them to leave.”

Despite the setbacks players faced last year, the team has managed to overcome them and prove public opinion wrong.

“This year, we definitely have better coaches, better talent and better players,” Gonzalez said. “We were a lot more coachable and a lot more equipped to win.”

The boys look back on their season fondly and, above all else, credit their head coach. 

“Coach Steve Handy missed his son’s first game just to coach us,” Abdul-Malik said. “Even on his birthday he still came to practice to help us grow and get better.” 

The team hopes to build a foundation for the years to come.

Now that they have a more stable leadership, they have the opportunity to build on their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses by pushing themselves to the limit.

“I believe our biggest weakness is our mentality,” Gonzalez said. “When we are at practice everybody should be giving 100 percent every single time, and not just when they feel like it or when they’re not tired. Growth doesn’t happen when you’re fully energized and ready to go, growth happens when you don’t feel like doing it and when you feel exhausted and don’t want to keep going.”

The team’s training schedule is very structured. Five days a week, the players practice after school for three hours. They stretch, practice their footwork and run through numerous plays.

Last year, the season ended with a record of two wins and seven losses.

“Already beating our last record from last year made me really proud of the team and the improvement,” Serafin said. “I feel so sad leaving. I’m a senior and I’m graduating next year. I’m definitely coming back to see how these guys are gonna keep on improving.”

The team is not looking forward to their season’s end, but they are excited to find out if they will be heading to the playoffs. If they do make it, then it will be the first time in six years that the school’s football team makes it. 

The team plans to continue practicing hard every single day, and plans to return even better next season. 

The abridged version of this article appeared in the Fall 2023 print edition. This is an uncut version.