WG Varsity Football Fights Hard Against Good Monroe Area Team and Plans for the Future

Photo by Makenzie Johnson

Friday, August 21st, Walnut Grove Varsity football played Monroe Area High School and suffered an unexpected loss. At the end of the game, Monroe Area put up 42 points to beat the Warriors.
by Arianna Riveron, Harrison Smith, and Jake Weitzman

On Friday, August 21, Walnut Grove varsity football played Monroe Area High School and suffered an unexpected loss. At the end of the game, Monroe Area put up 42 points to beat the Warriors. However, instead of staying discouraged by this loss, the team is already preparing for ways to bounce back and improve.

Julian Sease (senior) is one of the most influential players on the team. Julian plays safety and wide receiver but shines more on the receiving side of the ball. On Friday night, he managed to score a touchdown against Monroe Area's strong defense. Throughout the hard game, he saw many positive moments on and off the field. “We made a lot of big plays. I saw teammates bringing each other up here and there.”

Even though he saw many positive moments on Friday night, there are some ways he thinks the team can improve. “I feel like the team gave up after the second quarter. We need to play through the whole game, and I feel like if we did, the outcome would have been better.” Julian, along with many other senior teammates, played almost the entire game. He knows what it takes to be the best he can be, and he knows what's best for the team as well.

Along with being a team player on the field, he continues to show leadership qualities off the field. Whenever he sees his younger teammates performing drills or training incorrectly, he offers a helping hand and can see what the team needs to do to be the best it can be. “On the defensive side of the ball, just tighten up. We missed a lot of tackles; a lot of people didn't know their assignments, so we're gonna lock in this week and watch a lot of film so we're ready.” Whether you're watching him on the field or in the locker room, it's clear to see that Julian is committed to the team and wants it to do the best it can this year.

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​Jackson Salain (junior) is one of the hardest-working players on the team. On Friday night, he also played a majority of the game and only sat out when he absolutely needed to. Jackson plays inside linebacker and puts hours of work into the sport on and off the field. This level of commitment can be seen in how he acts toward himself and his teammates during workouts and practice. Similar to Julian, Jackson also has things he feels the team can improve on to be better in the future. “Give everything we have in practice, so we're not as tired in the second half of the game.”

Jackson has been on the varsity team every year he's been in high school, so he knows what the team needs to do to bounce back from this recent loss. “Give max effort in practice so we can give max effort in games.”
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Whether the team is winning or losing, the amount of spirit and determination from many players can be seen throughout the toughest moments. The Walnut Grove varsity football team is traveling this Friday to Alcovy County and will be playing at 7:30. Come out and support your Warrior football team!

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