Rocky. The word is defined as difficult and full of obstacles, but it also describes New Trier varsity football’s 2023 season. The team’s record this year was 3-6, but the story behind this statistic gives some insight into the Trevs’ tumultuous journey throughout the fall. 

“I think the record was very disappointing, and us not making playoffs, especially with the talent we had,” sophomore and first year varsity player Francis Karp said. “We were a really good team; we just lost a lot of games.”

Prior to the first game, New Trier’s varsity football team was healthy, motivated, and displaying strong potential across grade levels. However, as the injuries began to stack up, this football season turned out disheartening for many.

“We’re kind of like a family, very tight-knit,” senior and team captain Liam Fitzgerald explained. “So when a person goes down, everyone else feels for them because we care about each other a lot, especially when it’s a really good player.”

Along with the missing athletes, head coach Brian Doll noticed that the weight room lacked attendance from its active players. 

“It’s really hard in the winter to come in and lift every single day, you know, put in all that dedication and time,” Doll said.

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Outside of games and practices, weightlifting is obviously a key step to building the physical strength needed for football. However, time in the gym is also crucial to improve mental strength and cohesion between players. New Trier varsity football’s record this year proved that success on the field requires consistency and effort towards the seemingly trivial aspects of the sport. 

Due to these challenges behind the scenes, the Trevs struggled to finish their games in a strong fashion. For example, in the Sept. 29 game against Evanston Township High School, New Trier tied the score in the third quarter, 20-20, but ultimately lost with a final score of 22-26. 

“That kinda told the story for the rest of the season,” Karp said. 

Despite a noticeable trend of losing games in the second half, New Trier broke this streak near the end of its season. The team not only won its Homecoming game against Glenbrook North High School, but it also defeated Deerfield High School on Senior Night.

“We expected to win, we really wanted to win especially with how rocky the season was,” Fitzgerald said. “ Even if we’re hurting inside we are still going to play, because it’s our last game.”

Regarding the team for next year, the program anticipates improving offseason dedication to build unity and trust in order to come back stronger next year.

“We have to make changes, and we have to work harder to try to connect to what’s going on so we can have some more success,” Doll said.