With the Wolves’ win over the Niles North Vikings last Friday, their record has been propelled to 4-1 on the season. Beating a rival hometown team always feels great, especially in the fashion of a 38-6 blowout.
Even before the game started, you could see that the Wolves were calm and ready to play. Very quickly they were able to get ahead of the competition, but a lead is nothing if you get comfortable and let the other team come back. This did not happen. West completely dominated the entire game and picked apart the Niles North defense.
“We started off strong and we didn’t let up, we just kept going. We just wanted to strike them hard and keep the momentum going the whole game, we ended up doing that,” senior Matei Cotofrea said.
It’s no secret that the game was a massacre of the Vikings. Rarely can a 38-6 game be fun to watch, even if you’re a die-hard fan of the winning team, fans want to see competition to keep them captivated. Although a win is always satisfying, when the other team has no chance, the game seems more like a charity match than an actual competition.
Last season Niles West finished with a disappointing 3-6 record, and the previous season they finished 3-5. Something this season just has seemed to click.
Maybe it’s the conference change, or maybe it’s just because each year the Wolves play together they seem to get better. “We got bigger stronger, and more connected as a team through this offseason,” senior Logan Brandfellner said.
For any sport, chemistry is the most important factor for winning. Throughout sports history, great players have paired together to create almost unbeatable teams, but sometimes these teams don’t succeed due to poor chemistry. Seeing how tight the entire Wolves football team is together, and to have been teammates for so long, it’s no wonder that they seem to have put things together this season.
“It feels great but everyone already expected us to win, it’s time to move on to the next team,” senior Noah Weinberg said.
Even though beating Niles North is extremely satisfying, obsessing over a regular season win is not the type of mentality that is required from a winner. Bathing in success is a way to make you comfortable, and in sports, being comfortable limits the ability to grow as a team and work on your weaknesses.
With the Wolves’ strong start to the season, they still have four regular-season games left. It’s obvious that this team is hungry for the playoffs and is going to do everything in their power to go as far as possible. Be sure to stay up to date with Niles West football, because this season certainly looks promising.
