The Bengals football team is back roaring greater than ever before. With Head Coach Bradley Kunz leading the way, the team hopes to win as many games as possible and reach the championships by working together.

In football, repetition and a positive mindset is extremely important whether it is on or off the field according to Kunz.

 “Practices have been good this summer, and we feel pretty good as a team,” Kunz said, “We are excited about where we want to go this season.”

Players such as quarterback and sophomore Brandon Parades, and other fellow teammates, have found the team to be like a second family.

“I love playing on the team, every day I meet someone new, it’s like a big family and it’s just great.” Parades said.

With a growing following, football ranks ninth among sports in the world, making it an attractive sport for athletes from every background.

“We have guys in a lot of different situations and who are at different skill levels. It is not only important for us to help our guys become better athletes, but also better people.” Kunz said.

The thrill of adrenaline, freedom, and self-expression make this sport so popular among young athletes.

“There’s nothing like it,” said left tackle, senior Michael Jimmar.

“In eighth grade, someone introduced it to me, and I have just stuck with it ever since,” said Jimmar.

According to American Sports Recruitment, “Football offers hundreds of scholarships every year with roughly 1.5 million high school players, the odds are less than 1%.”

“Football has given me the opportunity to go to college for free,” Jimmar said.

Football is also a great way to step away from daily life and to be the best version of yourself during both practice times and games.

 “For me, it’s like therapy, I’ve used it to get over some hardships in my life and it keeps my motivation and spirits up.” Jimmar said.  

As the fall season continues, The Bengals football team is ready to face any challenges and obstacles headed their way on the road to championship glory.

 Having lost to The Plainfield North Tigers on August 26th, the team moves forward optimistically towards the future looking to redeem themselves in later games and not let this loss bring them down. “I have a coach who always tells me that, no matter what happens, the sun will rise tomorrow,” Parades said, “So whatever happens, the next day, you’re fine.”

‘Next time we’ll come with a better mindset, like we thought we were on top and it humbled us.” said Parades.

“It is through teamwork that we find peace, love, and happiness,” Jimmar said, “We have had our ups and downs, but we remain stronger than ever.”

Coach Kunz values getting to work with so many different players to get to that “Next Level” and the uniqueness of East football.

 “Football is a vehicle to teach life lessons, to learn about life, and the challenges that await you after high school, ” Kunz said.” I am looking forward to seeing where we go this season.”

The next game for East football is an away game against Joliet Central on September 23rd, at 6:30pm.

COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE TEAM IN YOUR BEST BLACK, AND MAKE IT THE BEST BLACK OUT GAME YET!