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By Cherry Manoonsilpa
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Sep. 24, 2008 |
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The Lowell varsity football team faces many obstacles this year, but after practicing all summer, the Cardinal boys remain determined to achieve their goal: to be city champions.
With the fall season just about to begin, the team, headed by coach Danny Chan, is off to a rocky start. When the team played their first pre-season game of the year on Sept. 12 against Paradise High School, the Cardinals were worn down by the speed of the Bobcats and defeated by a score of 51-0. Nevertheless, the team still looks forward to a bright future in the regular season and a spot in the playoffs.
“We didn’t give up — no matter how far down we were, we kept our heads up,” assistant coach Juan Navarro said. “Playing Paradise, a really experienced team, revealed what we had to work on, since a lot of our players have never started in a varsity game before. It’s a work in progress, but the team has a lot of heart.”
To lead the team to their goals, the Cardinals have chosen four new senior captains: tackle and defensive end Ian Maguire, wingback and middle line backer Shant Siyahian, wingback and safety David Kwong, and wingback and defensive back Kevin Li.
The team also has four additions to complement the new captains. “There are a lot of new underclassmen on varsity this year to replace the seniors,” senior wingback Wang Han said. “Also all of us seniors are stepping it up to replace last year’s seniors and to motivate the team.”
The new team is collaborating well, and the seniors are welcoming players from last year’s JV team. This includes last year’s JV quarterback, junior Shane McCarthy, who will continue playing his position this season, along with junior quarterback Ryan Louie.
“We work hard together, have a good work ethic, and are disciplined,” sophomore wingback and linebacker Ernest Marshall said. “We’re taking over Turkey Day.”
Last year, the Cardinals finished their regular season with only one loss to Lincoln High School. The team made it to playoffs to meet their second loss, when Washington High School took them by surprise and advanced onto the championships, leaving Lowell unsatisfied and anxious for this season to start.
The team has their second pre-season game tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Lowell against Liberty. |
