It is a new year for the NVOT football team with a lot of new changes and challenges on the field. So far, the team is 2-1, having won its games against Ridgewood and Northern Highlands and having lost its game against Wayne Hills. Despite having lost one game after last year’s undefeated season, the team is still optimistic about this year’s season.

The loss against Wayne Hills has had an impact on the team, but they are absorbing it and focusing on improvement. Junior Patrick Passalacqua said that although the team has “improved a lot since training camp started in August,” they were “handed a tough loss against Wayne hills after starting the season 2-0, so it’s clear that [the team is] nowhere close to where [they] need to be as a team and need to keep improving.”

The team suffered a notable blow from losing seniors last year as Passalacqua explained, “Obviously when a team loses a group of seniors as talented as the group that just graduated, it’s absence is felt immediately, not only from the loss of talent but also the loss of leadership.” However, this loss has allowed for the emergence of new talent and the team is working even harder to “fill leadership roles and find ways to help on the field,” Passalacqua said.

Senior Jackson Downey added, “[losing seniors] has allowed for younger players and guys who do not have a lot of experience to get playing time.” This year’s team still has the same high hopes and expectations that they had in previous years. Downey said, “our expectations are to win a sectional title.” However, he realizes that this year they are really going to have to work for it and be “focused on each week and the team we are versing that week.”

Passalacqua agreed, “We have one goal in mind as a team, but we’re not focused on long-term goals right now.” The team has high hopes as they prepare to take on Ramapo this Friday.