As the SHS football team beat the Terre Haute North Vigo Patriots, athletes and students alike rejoiced with each other. The varsity program overcame their losing streak of 0-28 the historic night of Sept. 29.

Later in the season, on Oct. 27, the Cardinals beat the Indianapolis Arsenal Technical Titans. The taste of victory started to pool in football players’ mouths. The flavor was the best they had ever had. 

Unfortunately, their season ended one week later due to a loss to Warren Central High School. The love for the winning feeling did not stop though. 

“Even though we lost 47 to nothing, winning drives me to come back next year,” senior Chaddison Feredith said. He was later informed he would be unable to come back next year … he cried.

Nonetheless, the opinion of Feredith rang true throughout the team. Winning was on their mind. Not only did players feel this way, but so did coaches, so much so it has compelled the coaching staff to change their grade policy. 

In the previous three years, a constant watch was on players to keep up with their school work. It was of much importance to head coach Malex Mettag for his players to also be succeeding in their academics. 

In the duration of this rigorous academic expectation, they did not win a single game until that fateful day. After winning their first game though, the coaching staff unanimously decided to forgo the expectation and focus on winning again. 

“We thought that having our players be smart and prepared for life after school was better and more important than winning,” Mettag said. “Boy, was I wrong. Winning is so much better.” 

He explains this was the epiphany he had the night they caught their first win. 

“That night, right then and there, we decided to get rid of the grading thing and get back to real ball,” assistant coach Read Faucet explained. “We understood quickly that football needed guys who had field IQ, not real IQ.”

He says this basic understanding has changed the way they are going to coach the next season. They used to have study halls specifically for players every week. They will now use that time for weight training. 

Mettag used to do classroom checks every morning on game days. This was to ensure that players were making it to class in order to perform academically on the day they needed to perform athletically. 

It was a humbling process. Players were treated like regular students who got no special treatment just because they were on the football team. This needed to change. 

“Egos need to be big,” Mettag said. “These aren’t normal kids, and I don’t want them to feel that way. They need to feel like they’re better than everyone, that way they can perform better than everyone on the field.” 

“I don’t care what they do now as long as they can break down, check down and catch a dang ball.” 

The coaching staff’s overall goal is to win more games. They love winning and so do their players. They realize that they cannot win if they don’t focus on the game over everything. For that reason, their new motto is “ALL IN (to football only).” 

This decision will shape the future of SHS football. Team 96 is expected to go undefeated as predicted by Faucet and Mettag. Students and staff alike should look forward to the 2024 season in hopes the football team will truly be ALL IN … to football only, of course.