After the departure of 13 seniors in the 2021-2022 season, the Boston Latin School varsity football team entered their home opener against East Boston High School on September 9. “We were definitely locked in. We were ready for anything, and I hope that we can continue this for the rest of the season,” says captain Kuba Rozwadowski (I).

The cheerleaders prepared to stunt and the crowd settled down into their seats, and the first game of the season commenced. After a rough start, the Wolfpack was down 0-6 at the end of the first quarter. East Boston was stronger, and BLS had just welcomed several novice players to the team. The Wolfpack, however, was determined to make a comeback. Captain Douglas George (I) explains, “Whenever we get down, especially early, we [focus] on every play and execute while letting the scoreboard take care of itself.”

The football team pushed through, and George tied the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass to captain Jan Carlos Ynoa (I), who unfortunately dislocated his arm shortly after. Despite this injury of a valuable team member, Ynoa states, “We had our younger guys come in, step up and they were able to score. […] We just carried the momentum and came out with the win.”

George later completed both a 16-yard touchdown pass to August Groh (III) in the second quarter and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ariel Arias (III) at the start of the fourth, closing the game with an 18-6 win for the Wolfpack.

One factor contributing to the team’s strong mentality was the cheerleading team. The cheer team boosted the crowd’s energy to help the football team make a comeback.

Cheer captain Jillian Keane (I) emphasizes the importance of a crowd, saying, “Having a big and loud crowd definitely helps the cheer and football teams feel better. It gets us pumped up and overall raises the energy levels of everybody. The cheer team’s spirit also skyrockets when the football team does well.”

After an excellent performance at the first game, followed by a win against the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science on September 16, the captains agree that this has established high expectations for the rest of the season. Ynoa elaborates, “[We saw] that we’re capable of beating teams that we thought we weren’t able to, [teams] that were stronger than us. […] We’ve gotta move on, learn from our mistakes, do better and get ready for the next couple games.”

The anticipation is high for the football team to succeed, yet they must take it one game at a time. They will face Excel Academy Charter School this Friday, September 30. We’re excited to see where this season takes them!