After ending the 2015 season 4-5, the football team has endured many challenges trying to rebuild and achieve their goal of making the state playoffs this season. Even after losing their first two games captains Jakub Nieroda and Sabian Edouard have been praised by Head Coach Anthony Faltin and have shown high hopes for the team.

  “We have all the resources available to succeed, we just need to use them in the right way,” Nieroda, Div. 757, said.

 Despite the high hopes from coaches and captains, the Lane football team has faced many obstacles heading into the 2016 season. There have been 15 suspensions within the 18 months that the new coaching staff has been at Lane, according to Coach Faltin.  

  This has caused controversy within the locker room and has shown to be an issue on the field, with Lane off to a rocky start.

  “We have had four student-athletes who have lost the privilege of being part of our program due to drugs, misconduct, and lack of effort or commitment,” Faltin said. “We are creating a lot of adversity before we even step on the field. The noise off the field is hindering us from being successful on the field. Our main goal is to get better each week. There is a long season ahead of us.”

  In the midst of suspensions and the team’s “inability to follow directions,” according to Faltin, there have still been quite a few bright spots that give playoff hopes to this year’s team.

  “We have some really good kids,” Faltin said. “Captain Michael Lavin scored a 32 on his ACT and is a two-way starter on the team. Captains Jakub Nieroda and Sabian Edouard both competed in track and came to almost every off-season lift. Their hard work and dedication has made our team better. Two sophomores who get better every day are Michael Malloy and Nate Segura. They are completely dedicated to making themselves and their team better.”

  With the captains’ and Coach Faltin’s faith in the football team to improve and make the state playoffs, there are high hopes and definitely opportunities to prove themselves.  

  “To win football games in the coming weeks we need to improve greatly,” Nieroda said. “We’re not the same team as years in the past, but we’re playing with what we have. Remaining optimistic however, I can see the team making the city playoffs, winning the game and improving our season. There’s no room for failures in this school.

  A 41-0 victory over King on Sept. 10 showed a glimpse of what the team hopes will be the story of the remainder of their season.

  “If there is anything a great football team needs, it’s persistence,” Edouard said. “To be able to attack every single play and to want to get better every single day. As our head coach says, ‘Getting after it is what sets apart the good teams from the great.’ If we could perform with this mindset, we will be unstoppable.”

  Nieroda echoed Edouard’s optimism.

   “I won’t be surprised if we start a winning streak, win a playoff game and shock everyone,” Nieroda said.