Though the 2013 season has ended in disappointment for varsity football, the future is promising, as many young players are looking to step up for the team next season. As with every year, the end of this season leads to the departure of current seniors, and the addition of talented freshmen and sophomores who will try to make an impact on varsity.

According to junior lineman Andrew Marders, rising players will need time to adjust to the challenges of varsity before they can play to their full potential.

“I think most of the players on JV will perform well on varsity, but they have much to learn before they will be ready to suit up,” Marders said.

The JV football team has seen great triumphs in the past few years, including an undefeated season last school year and a 3-5 record this season. Part of what makes JV such a success at CHS is the groundwork laid by coaches in building excitement for joining the varsity team.

“Obviously the competition is lower, but we prepare our JV kids very well,” varsity lineman Ali Kaziminpour said. “They come in excited and focused. They play as a team and unselfishly, and you couldn’t ask for more as a team.”

According to sophomore JV quarterback Brett Miller, the team has done well recently because of its strong team chemistry.

“The JV team has succeeded because of our coaches and [because] the players have bonded really well,” Miller said.

This lack of a strong bond, coupled with a slew of injuries to star players such as junior running back Blake Dove, led to a disappointing 1-9 finish for the varsity Bulldogs, who failed to make the playoffs for the first time in two years.

“We are a very young team,” Kaziminpour said. “Our starting quarterback comes at the start of tryouts and that chemistry is missing. Most schools have all summer to bring it all together and we are asking a bit much of a sophomore, [recent transfer Sean Strittmater], to come in and take us to playoffs.”

Though JV’s main purpose is to prepare athletes for the pressures of varsity, in many ways the experiences are completely different.

“You play on JV and you enjoy every second of it purely because you are playing the game,” Marders said. “Once you get to the varsity level everything is heightened, there is more pressure to perform, more competition and more challenges that arise. It is how you face these challenges that determine how the team does and who you are on the inside.”

Like every year, the Bulldogs will begin their offseason workouts, and rising players will begin to prove themselves to varsity coaches. Though the team will face challenges, it is clear that there will be an abundance of talent to help them succeed in the future.