Getting excited to start a brand new football season happens at every high school around the country, but when you get to play your rival to start the season, there’s a different feeling behind the preparation that goes into the game.
The O’Connor Panthers know exactly what that feels like as they prepare to open the season against rival Brandeis on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. at Ferris Stadium.
While the motivation behind starting the season strong is also paired with the determination to be better than last year’s 3-7 record, the Panthers told us how special it is to be playing a heated rival in week one.
“It’s truly special, you know, coming from last year the year before that, coming from this year playing with these guys since middle school, you know, it’s pretty personal,” said senior defensive lineman Erik Castillo.
“I mean, after playing in the Alamodome the last two years, you get to feel the atmosphere, you get to feel all the fans looking at you, the lights, it feels great to be able to go and play in front of the thousands of people,” said senior tight end Zachary Godby.
“You know that on top of a brand new football season just adds just that much more excitement and enthusiasm to being out here at 6:45 in the morning to practice and getting yourself ready, and it’s not gonna be hard to get our kids excited about playing that first game,” said O’Connor head coach David Malesky.
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.