The fireworks shot off one last time this fall as the Niles West varsity football team finished their season on Fri., Oct. 20 with a loss against Maine South; the Wolves ended their season with a 1-8 record. The team began the season with a new head coach, Jesse Pierce, so they had to learn the new plays that went along with that.

The seniors had to bid farewell to high school football, but many said they will cherish the experiences and memories they made on that field.

“Playing my last football game was definitely a memorable moment. It was very bittersweet knowing I won’t play with my boys again,” senior free-safety Phillip Abonce said. “I will miss strapping up in the iconic gray color rush uniforms under the Friday night lights. Playing at an intense level while still being able to have fun is something people take for granted.”

According to junior and slot receiver Shayn Szlak, unpreparedness was a factor behind this year’s unsuccessful record.

“The season went the way it did in my opinion because we were not prepared for the competition. We need to get in the weight room to prepare better for next year,” Szlak said. “I think one of the biggest obstacles we had was moving the ball on offense. We got better towards the end, but it was a little late. Next year I can promise we will be back bigger and better; we know what we have coming our way, and we will be ready.”

Between learning new positions and beating a rival with Niles West’s singular victory against Niles North, senior and middle line backer Isaiah Elhamti felt there were both the struggles and successes this season.

“Learning how to play middle linebacker was difficult at first. I was new to that position early in the season, but I caught on and understood it a lot more,” Elhamti said. “It is upsetting that we didn’t do so well, but we beat Niles North, so therefore I am thankful for that.”

The team tried their best this season to overcome the adversity of a new coach, new plans, and general unpreparedness. Although they didn’t have a winning season, they still were able to make the best of a series of unfortunate obstacles and look forward to what next year brings for all of them.

Contributions made to the story by Christina Lappas.