Sports
UW-SP football prepares for final regular season game
Sports Reporter
The crisp cut grass, still morning air and the smell of fresh, white painted yard lines on the field; this is the smell and feeling of game day. All the long hours of shedding aggression on the practice field and pumping iron is what the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s football team lives for. Holding an 8-1 record with only one regular season game to play, these men are looking back on their wonderful season and looking ahead to playoff opportunities.
With nearly 15 seniors on the team and the season coming to a close, the last game will be very emotional and changes will be made for these young men. Many of these men have been playing football since the seventh grade, all through high school and were finally given the opportunity of playing college football with other very talented athletes. It’s easy to see why it will be hard for them to end their sports careers and start living very different lives after graduation.
“Playing football has been a part of my life since I can even remember and it will be sad when it’s all over, but just like everything in life, you must move on and other things become a part of your life,” said Joe Francar, a senior linebacker for the Pointers.
Now with only one game left in the regular season and the possibility of playoffs around the corner, these Pointer seniors are getting ready to move on. They will leave their accomplishments behind and their knowledge of the game to the rest of the team after their last moments as a Pointer.
“I love being a good leader to the younger kids. I can tell a lot of them look up to me, and I want to make them feel welcome and feel like they belong because that is only going to make the future teams better. Our coach always tells us that it’s not necessarily what you do now that leaves your legacy, but it’s what happens in four years from now when the freshmen are seniors and you can see how you helped shape them into what they have become,” said senior Brad Vickroy, a defensive lineman for the Pointers.
The older members of the team are a huge help to the freshmen and even to each other. They are a team that shares the happiness and excitement which comes with winning and the anger which comes with losing, but most of all they share what’s in their near future: playoffs.
“I’m looking forward to playoffs the most. I have never been on a football team who has ended the season with such a good record. Being my senior year and winning the amount of games we have and having a chance to win conference or make playoffs is something that I never thought would happen because the WIAC conference is so good and there is no such thing as a ‘gimme’ game,” said Vickroy.
As a team, these men have worked hard to get where they are and know where they want to be when the season is over. The seniors are proud of what they have done throughout the years and wouldn’t have had their college careers any other way. Through the UW-SP football program, these men have made teammates, friends and relationships that will last a lifetime.
“I love hanging out with the guys. If it wasn’t for playing football here at Point, I would have never met some of my best friends in the world. Whether it’s going out after games or just hanging out at someone’s house, we always seem to have a good time,” said Vickroy.
With friends made, lives touched, men blocked and touchdowns made, this season and the years past will never be forgotten by the UW-SP seniors.
The Pointers play their last regular season game at home against UW-La Crosse on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Goerke Field. The team will be recognizing both seniors and their parents for all their hard work and dedication. This same game will also determine whether the Pointers head to the playoffs. That game and location is not yet determined, but would be held the weekend of Saturday, Nov. 22.
Bundle up and bring a friend as the Pointers fight their way to the playoffs and say farewell to the seniors, but wish them the best in their years to come.
