Buffalo Gap High's Football Team Aims for Redemption
Buffalo Gap High School's football team is working hard to overcome their poor performance in 2023, focusing on youth and team unity.
The football team at Buffalo Gap High School is trying to put a rough 2023 season behind it. The boys in green only notched one win the entire year, their worst finish since 2007. However, their head coach has not lost hope and is working hard to make sure that the exact situation doesn’t repeat itself this year. He dedicated a lot of work to developing youth as well, and as the boys get to the summer camp seeking their identity, they are working hard to realize it. When Coach Brad Wygant says that their results didn’t show how well they played, he is partially right. It was not rare for the boys to remain competitive throughout the game, only to lose a close match because they couldn’t get things going in the fourth quarter. However, this is a learning opportunity as well.
However, a significant portion of the emphasis will be put on youth for the upcoming season. Many young players are already among the adjusted roster, and while this is not a particularly senior-heavy program, Wygant is not worried because of the boys’ age. “We’re pretty young,” he said, “we’re playing a lot of sophomores that are catching on pretty well”. The coach is placing a lot of emphasis on the meritocratic approach, stating that he doesn’t care whether a player is a senior or just got out of middle school if they’re good enough, they’re going to play. That being said, the aforementioned senior class is proving to be pretty strong as well, with the leaders Yeago and Malcom making sure that they blend and blend well. “The unity of this team is a very strong feature”.
Taking all of this into account, Wygant is trying to establish Buffalo Gap as the mild underdog, the kind of team which could surprise a lot of contenders. As he likes to say, “we’re the underdogs, but no one’s going to come out here and just expect to give us something”. This could very well make his boys the perfect surprise pack in the upcoming season. Buffalo Gap will start the 2024 campaign at home playing against James River, on August 30.
