This season, Wakefield’s varsity football team has undergone big changes: most notably, the addition of a new head coach. With Justin Allred as the new voice leading the team, the future of football at Wakefield is bright. So far, the boys have two wins under their belt as they look to win a conference game, proving they are a playoff contender.
In his new role, Allred has adapted to the demanding premise of leading the team, working day in and day out since July to prepare the players for this season. The Wakefield Wolverines now have a record of 2-3 after their first five games of the season, including their astounding comeback win against the Broughton Capitals. Allred is looking forward to seeing what this team can do as the season progresses, with his sights set on the boys gaining strength and awareness.
“A successful season is one where we finish better than we started as far as players and [as a] team,” Allred said. “We finish stronger, we finish more aware of the game of football [and] we set ourselves up with a lot of momentum for next season.”
As with any coach, Allred is responsible for appropriately preparing his players for gameday. Whether this is through giving the team pep talks or pointing out what the players need to improve, everyone shares a common goal of doing their best. Quarterback Carter Merck is no exception to this, with the guidance from his coach being his source of inspiration.
“He gets us motivated [by] telling us how he trusts us with what he has planned,” Merck said.
The successes of this season has given the team hope for the future. Feelings of optimism are shared among the team as they have seen dramatic increases in quality of play. One player who vocalized this newfound optimism is junior Caleb Asobo, who has specific goals in mind when it comes to the upcoming year.
“Because we’ve tasted what success feels like before, we’re hungry, and we want it bad,” Asobo said.
With new leadership and strong motivation, the Wolverines are eager to continue on this upward trajectory. The games ahead, largely in-conference, present a new challenge to them; however, with every new challenge comes a new opportunity for the team to improve and grow from game to game. Max Zambrana, an offensive lineman for Wakefield, shares his excitement for the young and energetic team.
“We are starting to win [and] we are starting to come together [more,]” Zambrana said. “We’re starting to build a bond with the coaching staff and I think that our story is special because [we’re] going from last year, [with a record of 2-8], to now looking like a decent team and projecting to the playoffs.”
With the team on his side all sharing optimism for the future, Allred sees greatness ahead for all sports at Wakefield. He believes in his team and believes that things are only going up from here.
“I think everything seems to be turning in a positive direction. Not just football, but all athletics,” Allred said.
