As we enter into the colder months, football attendance is reaching an all-time low. Maverick Hyder ‘27, a varsity team member, noted this lack with dampened spirits.
“Last year every game was like a packed house and now this year it’s just like we don’t know who’s gonna come,” Maverick said.
Through the stampede of Lakeside Vikings, a small group of Woodward Eagles huddle up to create a game plan to their victory. Thankfully, the game was nothing short of a success as it ended with a soaring 50 to 0. The opposing team worked hard to beat our War Eagles; however, they couldn’t help but get eaten alive. “I was trying to build that connection, that team spirit that we needed to win,” Maverick Hyder ‘27 said. Well, that team spirit was clearly brought to the game. Communication and teamwork brought our eagles to glory and showed the Vikings not to mess with the Eagles! Photo courtesy of Nora Fletcher ’26, November 1, 2024.Slone Buffton ‘27 does extraordinary stunts at the Woodward versus Lakeside football game. “For the cheer team we give it our all, we give it our best,” India Smith ‘26 said. The positive attitude and exhilarating performance the cheerleaders give at games rally up the crowd. The most passionate cheerleaders practice outside of the football season on competition teams. As cheerleaders express their excitement for their own competitions, crowds witness that same excitement through their performance at each and every football game. Photo courtesy of Maddie James ‘26, November 1, 2024.An amazing catch made by Elijah Elibert ‘27 sets the team up for success after success as they continue their season. “We’ve increasingly gotten better every week,” William Smith-Waddell ‘26 said. After accommodating themselves to the season, the Woodward War eagles have been on a winning streak and have continuously portrayed their skill and talent with the ball. Elijah jumps in the air and catches the ball at the right moment and angle to add to the scoreboard on his team’s behalf. Photo courtesy of Aydan Morales, October 26, 2024.A football player sprints down the field, so fast that other players aren’t even visible in the action shot. “We eased up on the conditioning because we don’t have enough people to help if we all get injured,” Emory Hill ‘26 said. A major concern for the football team in the beginning of the year was the massive drop in the amount of players due to seniors graduating last year. According to Emory this led to concerns of losing even more players due to injuries. It is clearly a reasonable concern, but there is a very fine line between not being cautious enough and being overly cautious. While in the beginning of the season the amount of conditioning taking place was seen as a sore topic. As the team evolved, they were able to find a way to train extremely fast players while also avoiding multiple injuries. Photo courtesy of Aydan Morales, September 30, 2024.The JV team faced off against the St. Pius Golden Lions which resulted in a not-so-close win with 21 to 6. “I feel like we were expected to play at the same standard as last year’s team and I feel like we’ve come close to that,” Maverick Hyder ‘27 said. Although there has been a big lack of student interest in the football team this year due to the comparison between this year’s players and the seniors from last year, the football team has stayed undefeated for almost 10 weeks now. “It kind of overshadowed it when we lost three games in a row, but now we’re undefeated in the region,” William Smith-Waddell ‘26 said. The 2024 seniors definitely left big shoes to fill for the rest of the football team, but fortunately after adapting a bit the team was able to turn things around and guarantee a strong finish to the season. Photo courtesy of Aydan Morales, September 14, 2024.Woodward goes against Arabia Mountain High School in a fierce battle yet not much of a close one. What did you expect, of course our war eagles won 44 to 0. The eagles have continued to get better and make Woodward proud. “So, come out and support during Thanksgiving week,” Maverick Hyder ‘27 said. Our invincible team with a winning streak of 7 deserves all of the support and more, so show up and show out to stare the Lovejoy Wildcats down this Friday on November 15! Photo courtesy of Aydan Morales, September 28, 2024.
