By Ryan Molini (@molins_3)
One game. Two halves. That’s it.
The varsity football team (2-6) heads into their last game of the year on Friday, Oct. 23, at Buffalo Grove high school as they take on the 1-7 Bison.
For seniors, their last game in a Prospect uniform. For juniors, a chance to step up and prove they are ready to lead the team, according to assistant coach Frank Mirandola.
“It’s a great opportunity to kind of audition [for the juniors],” Mirandola said. “To see what [the juniors] are capable of doing and we have guys that can rise up.”
While the juniors may be ready to bump up a notch on the totem pole, seniors like offensive linemen Luke Wrede are leaving their final mark of Prospect Football on the field friday night.
“It’s pretty emotional,” Wrede said. “I have spent lots of time in the weightroom, on the practice field, in the classroom watching film, etc. Now that it’s coming to an end it brings up a lot of memories.”
Mirandola and Wrede both see senior Bison quarterback Trey Cervantes a good challenge for the team.
“Cervantes is a pretty strong passer. He’s got a very live arm—he throws the ball about 60 yards,” Mirandola said. “No play is ever a dead play. We have to continue to put pressure on him [to force some inaccurate throws].”
Wrede has confidence that the Knights’ defense can adjust to the unorthodox MSL offense and that the team has a solid plan going into the game.
Neither Wrede nor Mirandola believe injuries will be treated differently knowing there is no concern for future game-statuses.
“Noone’s going to be put at risk at any point in time,” Mirandola said. “We’re banged up right now but the kids we do have right now are all playing hard.”
Wrede echoed Mirandola and stressed that because this is week nine, doesn’t mean anyone will hold back with how hard they play.
As for this being the seniors including Wrede’s last game, he intends to leave everything on the field.
“[We] want to be able to say that we finished off our season the right way by fighting until the last minute,” Wrede said. “I think a win would prove that.”