NC’s scrimmage against the Harrison Hoyas kicked off the long-awaited football season on Friday, August 10. While not the success the team hoped for, the scrimmage allowed them to analyze their strengths and weaknesses to prepare for their first official game of the season this Friday, August 17 against the Woodstock Wolverines.

“We’ve just got to do a better job tackling and being more physical, but on our offense I think we played pretty well and we’re going to do even better next week,” head football coach Shane Queen said.

The Hoyas took the lead for the first quarter, maintaining strength in their offensive line. At the end of the second quarter, the scoreboard pronounced the Warriors and Hoyas tied, but by the third quarter, the Hoyas jumped into the lead with a running touchdown. The Warriors’ defensive line faltered, but their spirits remained high.

“I felt like the team learned a lot from this scrimmage, and that this loss can only fire them up for the rest of the season,” NC alumni and previous football player Michael Smith said.

Despite the Warriors’ loss, the student section and NC alumni persistently cheered the team on and applauded their efforts. With a minute left in the fourth quarter, sophomore running back Montrell Jenkins scored an impressive touchdown, finishing out the scrimmage with a score of 28-30. The scrimmage allowed the team to identify weaknesses to work on at practice, and they refuse to allow their loss to set them back in their overall success this season. To officially kick off the football season, a school-wide pep rally in the new Arena will commence during 4th period in preparation for the game at 7:30 pm.