As the new year begins and new sports are coming into season at Cass High School, it is important to recall some of the greatest moments in the fall semester. The football team had a phenomenal season. The seniors take a look back upon the triumphs and defeats they persevered through with gratitude. The season ended Friday, November 24th with an unfortunate defeat from Coffee High School, but it did not define the team’s record or diligence. Leading up to the third round of state playoffs against Coffee, the Colonels had a three-game winning streak against tough teams they had not been favored against. In the state playoffs, they faced Kell High School and Mays High School and came out with outstanding wins against both teams. 

Though they had incredible triumphs, the football team did not go without hard work and grit. The first few games were not what the team hoped, but they only propelled them to put in more work as a team and lead by example with showing out. Logan Woods, a senior left-back stated “The hardest challenge was finding the motivation, after we lost a few games, I feel like everyone was kind of down about it thinking that we weren’t going to be as into as we were last year.” Even with these challenges, the tough losses brought the team together for the better. Sacovie White, a senior wide receiver stated, “The first couple of games didn’t determine us, it’s how you finish and not how you start.” The team was able to get back out there in the following weeks and come out with a thrilling win over Calhoun.

Throughout the entire season, the players put in numerous physically and mentally exhausting hours of work and practice packed with blood, sweat, and tears. Their rigorous, but greatly earned, win against Calhoun was a moment of glory to take in as they saw what they could accomplish. As they approached this game, the team put their hearts and minds together knowing the stakes. They needed to win this game to go to the state playoffs due to tough losses against Hiram and Dalton in prior weeks.  “After we lost to Cartersville and Hiram, we came together and decided we needed to beat Calhoun to make it to the playoffs,” explains White. He recalls that, throughout his football career at Cass, the team had never beaten Calhoun. Their unprecedented win against Calhoun built up a stronger sense of motivation for the boys who remember the previous tough losses against Calhoun. They understood what it would mean for the program and the coaches. They took charge and led their team to a 52-29 victory. As they reflect on this win, Coach Gates recalls that “Beating Calhoun in a must-win game to make the playoffs” was the team’s greatest accomplishment. Though the team was not favored to win this game, they beat all the odds and made it through to the first round of playoffs. The boys recall this as a season-altering game. Devin Henderson explained how “getting into the playoffs as the fourth seed and making it back-to-back years” helped build up momentum for the next two weeks of practice which fueled the road to state.

Another incredible game that captured the team’s drive and aptitude was the game in the second to last round of playoffs where they faced Mays High School. The team faced a season-ending loss to Mays in 2022 which only aided the ambition the team had to prevail against them this season. Even though Mays was on a strong winning streak of seven games, coming out of the previous game victorious 65-7, the Colonels were still able to keep their winning streak and pull off another significant upset of 17-7 further proving their hard work around the clock and determination to flourish to their greatest potential. 

As the seniors recalled their most treasured moments from this year, they looked at the season as a legacy to leave behind to the next generation of leaders. Their season was a time that brought them lasting memories and connections to the younger boys who will be falling in line with their footsteps in seasons to come. The bond formed between them will allow future seniors to look at what previous classes have accomplished with grit and determination. The class of 2024 will carry on for years as they look back in remembrance of what they can accomplish with the right mindset and motivation.