On Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, the Collins football team won what is possibly their last game of the season.
Collins played against Schurtz High School on Lane Tech’s football field and won the game, 29-14.
This was an unfortunate loss for Schurtz since this was their homecoming game, and they brought plenty of support to cheer them on. They had a marching band composed of, an estimated, 40 people who played various instruments, including the drums and trombone. In addition to the band, Schurtz brought along cheerleaders, students, and family members.
Collins did not have as many supporters on their side. However, the team members cheered each other on and even had teachers come to show their school spirit.
In the first quarter, Collins scored a touchdown and stayed in the lead until Schurtz came back in the second quarter with a touchdown of their own. The two teams were neck and neck with their scores until the fourth quarter when a member of Collins’ team was injured and sent to the hospital. The rest of the team was determined not to let Schurtz score again.
After the game, each team was directed to line up to give a congratulatory handshake to the opposite team. Collins’ Coach Battles instructed his team to “have good sportsmanship on the field, shake hands, and say nothing.” The team followed these orders, taking their win with humility.
Schurtz, however, did not take losing well. One of the team members threw down his helmet in defeat, and their team later attempted to spit on the Collins bus.
Once again, the winning team stayed humble, ignoring the other team’s behavior. They even poured a bucket of ice water on Coach Crawford. The team celebrated on the ride back to their school and took pictures with friends in addition to the professional ones taken before the game.
The team is currently waiting to find out if they made the Sectionals. If so, they have a few more games ahead of them. If not, the Collins football team will have ended this season with a record of 6-3.
By Trinity Oglesby
Edited by Cathy Milne
Image Courtesy of Staff Photographer Devin Jackson