The Briar Woods Varsity Football Team is making a comeback after a previous season full of loss. With a current record of 3-1, you couldn’t even recognize that this was the same team that had a record of 1-9 last year. It’s safe to say that Briar Woods’ Varsity Football team is back and better than ever, but a question that still lies is, what’s next? 

Now that things are looking up, students are dying to know how far they’re going to go this year. Ryan Peele, an avid football fan, is “very excited” to see his high school football team finally redeem themselves after a season full of loss. “I think after a year of disappointment last year it’s fun to actually see more than one win.” he said.

The playoffs and State Championships have been a focal point in many discussions regarding the team. After speaking with the head coach and some of the players, their goals started to seem much more clearer. First, knowing how they’ve been training and the improvements they’ve made gives a bit more insight as to how they were able to have a comeback season.

Head Coach Michael Burnett said “there was nothing else [to do] but to get back to work. We worked hard in the weight room, five days a week, all year long.” Looking at their performance this season, many can tell that the hard work they put in truly paid off. Burnett adds that “they are a lot stronger and faster” now than they previously were. Coach Burnett has been known for taking losing teams and turning them into State Champions. During one season, Broad Run had only won one game, but once Coach Burnett arrived they won two state championships. So it comes as no surprise that now that he’s coaching Briar Woods, the team has been shaping up. However, it’s not just the coach that’s important, the players on the team play a huge role too.

Senior Austin Weber, who plays middle linebacker, says “[they’re] definitely coming together as a team and creating stronger bonds and just getting to know the playbook better and bonding with [their] coaches.” When Weber was asked about what he wanted to accomplish this year regarding football, “I want to make All-State, personally.” Weber said.

Another player, Brady Carmical, who’s the starting quarterback as a sophomore, said “[he] would like to [win] a district championship, and regional championship, and see where [they] can go from there.” When asked about how he felt about his performance so far, “I feel pretty good about my performance, but it’s my teammates that make me look really good.” Carmical said. He adds that after a loss “it’s [his] teammates that motivate [him] the most to bounce back.”

The team’s bond has been brought up numerous times. “We’re like family.” Assistant Coach Andre Jones said. Although each player wants to accomplish big things such as All-State, winning a district or regional championship, they all value each other more than winning. No predictions can be made about the playoffs and State Championships currently, but so far it’s the team’s work ethic and familial bond that is going to take them far and maybe even help them take home the 2022 State Championship trophy.