After a hard-fought battle against Arlington, the football team comes just short of a win, with a score of 13 to 14, ending an eventful homecoming week. The football team persevered until the last second of the game, a valiant effort that represented the Spartans’ spirit.

“[We] did pretty good, we fought well, came up a little bit short, made a couple of mistakes that we just can’t make, but overall I was pleased,” Teran Conley, head football coach, said.

The school hired many new coaches in an effort to rebuild the football team. Through strength training, weight training, even mental training, the coaches consistently practice with the players in order to get them ready for the games. The team steadily sees improvements in each player as they progress through the season. Not only that but the players are motivated to make this year’s performance better than previous years – determined to follow through with this in the homecoming game.

“[I’ve been doing] stuff with the process. My staff, they’re doing an amazing job getting these kids ready every week,” Conley said. “I have a really good senior class that wanted to win their homecoming. [It] wasn’t anything I did differently; they bought into the process more and wanted to win.” 

The first quarter ended with neither team scoring, the two sides in a lock. In the second quarter, White Station ended up fumbling the ball at the 15-yard line, with Arlington hastily recovering it. Arlington took advantage of this and scored a 15-yard rushing touchdown. Committed to scoring a goal before half-time, varsity kicker Logan Ahern (11) eventually put White Station on the board with a 25-yard field goal.

“I think that the first half was like a wakeup call, and [the] second half we performed,” player Jake Parker (11) said. “You know, some things did not go our way, but I think the whole team, by at least the second half, we all knew what we were doing.” 

Arlington began on the 37-yard line after a punt from White Station. Arlington could not get through White Station and eventually turned over possession on a missed field goal. The Spartans began on the 21-yard line but ended up fumbling, which allowed Arlington to score a touchdown. Arlington also scored the one-point conversion, leaving the score at Arlington 14, White Station three, marking an end to the third quarter. During the fourth quarter, Arlington had possession of the ball but fumbled. Racing down the field, Kimerious Hamilton (11) hugged the ball, dodging in and out of the defense and scoring a 50-yard touchdown. The kicker scored the extra point, bringing the score to Arlington 14, White Station 10. Arlington got the ball but did not obtain the first down. With only mere minutes left on the board, the ball turned over to White Station. One last field goal brought the final score to Arlington 14, White Station 13.

“Lonnie Simpson Jr. (11), my quarterback in [the]second half, he did really really well. [He] was able to move the football,” Conley said. “My kicker did extremely well and put the offense on the board. And every week, my defense always does really, really well, shout out to Kimerious Hamilton (11) for having a sack-fumble and the score.”

Throughout the whole game, the student section’s energy never faded, encouraging the football team in waves of flashing green and gray. 

“It’s amazing, the student body has been exceeding my expectations since I took the job,” Conley said. “Homecoming has what I expected because of what they’ve been doing every week. You know, keeping us encouraged, knowing and understanding … we’ve been rebuilding, and that’s made it a lot easier to rebuild. So it wasn’t just homecoming that has been exceeding my expectations, it has been ever since I took the job.”