Despite early setbacks, quarterback Spencer Stewart is excited and ready for the second half of the season. The team got off to a rough start with a 2-3 record with losses to Lawrence, SM East and Lawrence Free State.  The team posted wins against Grandview and SM West.

SM East and Lawrence Free State are ranked number one and two in the state.

“I feel that we have come together as a team, and I think that we will meet the expectations ,” junior quarterback Spencer Stewart said.

One of the areas in which the Cougars are showing improvement is defense. In last year’s game against Grandview, the Bulldogs scored 50 points. This year, the Cougars gave up only 29 points against the team.

“The defense has prepared longer than last year,” safety Mark Addington said. “We started working on everything right as school ended, so we would know all of our assignments and do what we need to do.”

The coaches are trying to instill a winning mentality in the student by enforcing weightlifting to build endurance, both mentally and physically. Being present for the team is one of the mantras of this year’s team, whether it be spotting each other in the weight room or picking up slack on the field.

“It’s not where we want it to be yet, but it’s getting better,”Coach Chris Walters said. “As a coach you love to see kids getting better. For three  years now you can see them getting stronger, faster and building confidence. That’s what it’s about.”

The Cougars have four more regular season games against SM South, SM North and Olathe North.  All of these teams have records similar to or worse than the Cougars. . This is the part of the season where most people have high expectations for the team.