October, 2023
By Brayan Davis, Sports Editor
American football is one of the biggest sports for high schools and America in general. It brings excitement to the so called “high school experience,” which includes exciting events such as homecomings, pep rallies and many other fun activities. While KIPP Austin Collegiate doesn’t have a traditional tackle football program, there is a KAC flag football team that still represents our school with resilience and pride.
After an unimpressive season last year, this year the Cardinal football team fell one game short from making the playoffs. Before the last game of the season they were tied with the best record in the district, with four wins and two losses.
The deciding game was disappointing to say the least, as the Cardinals did not come prepared to win the game. The problems started immediately: all but one player arrived late and some players forgot to bring their gear. With a variety of factors in their favor, Headwaters School was able to defeat the Cardinals 50-28.
Although the final result wasn’t what they hoped for, this year’s Cardinals went from not winning games to coming within a few points of making the playoffs. This improvement was due to the team’s seniors leading the younger players and pushing their way through the other teams in their division. Senior Hipolito Martinez, the team’s quarterback, said, “There was a lot of doubt since last season we didn’t win any games. And me and other seniors knew we couldn’t let that happen again in our last year of football”.
Flag Football this year didn’t achieve all they hoped. But with the help of its seniors the team is making the correct steps to get better. Hopefully next season the next up will step up and take the team where it is meant to be.
The Cardinal Post 