When the Leesville Varsity football team travels to Wake Forest to take on the Cougars on November 5, the game will be much more than a matter of Pride.
In fact, after the Cougars (3-1 CAP-8) faltered against Wakefield, it opened a golden opportunity for Leesville.
The Pride (5-0 CAP-8) have an opportunity to win the conference championship outright for the first time in school history; the last thing standing in their way is the Cougars.
The team came close to this goal in 2007 before losing to Wake Forest-Rolesville in a clash of undefeated teams during the season finale.
The 2007 loss was the first of three straight to the Cougars, meaning that the current senior class has never defeated WF-R during the regular season.
Ryan Mangum, senior, views this game just like any other: “We try to treat each game as a game. It’d be nice to get a [conference championship] banner though, and I don’t want to share it. Period.”
The game will be no cakewalk however. The Cougars’ loss to Wakefield was their first regular season loss in two seasons.
Leesville has one extra week to prepare thanks to a bye week, but not all players view this as a good thing.
“After practicing, we’ll be ready to play a game Friday, but then we have to wait a week. It’s just tedious,” said David Lowery III, senior.
Another factor that could prove problematic is that the Pride will be on the road.. The Cougars continually have a solid fan base that support their team loudly every Friday night.
“I don’t ever notice the crowd; I never come off the field,” said Jake Joyner, a senior who plays on both offensive and defensive line.
“Our fans always turn out well for road games; they feel like being at home,” added Mangum.
However, one blaring factor remains in the quest for the Cap-8 championship. Rolesville must travel to Millbrook on October 29, a task they cannot overlook.
If the Cougars fall to the Wildcats, the Pride will automatically become Cap-8 champions outright.
The coveted conference championship greatly affects playoff seeding, and the winner will likely hold either the one seed or two seed in the East.
No matter how you look at it, the Pride face both their biggest challenge and biggest game of the season November 5 where they expect the Loonies to support them in full force.
Will Bennett is a remarkable staff writer who was recruited from his early days. In fact, before Bennett could even speak, the Mycenaean took serious interest in him. While many consider this practice to be unethical, the Leesville editors disagree. Alex Stewart claims that his contributions to the staff have been “Pullitzer Prize” worthy.
In addition to his writing, Bennett enjoys animals, Freshberry Frozen Yogurt, Hip-hop music, and long walks on the beach. He can often be found on his seaside estate composing original music, writing moving poetry, and balling with old basketball greats like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
On behalf of the Leesville Road Mycenaean I apologize for the mistake and have taken care of it, have a nice day.