As the HC football team prepares for playoffs, senior Luke DiNardo looks to make the most of his last season playing highschool football. DiNardo has been a part of the team for four years. He has played linebacker, safety, receiver, and tight end. Senior Night will be this Friday at 8:00 against Southwestern, and senior festivities will take place during the game.
“[The seniors] get recognized at half-time,” DiNardo said. “Seniors will probably do dinner or something after [the game].”
Creating a bond with your teammates is one of the most important parts when participating in a team sport.
“The bond I made is going to be missed,” DiNardo said. “Spending three hours a day with best friends all highschool – it’s going to be missed. They become your best friends and family.”
All of the practice the team has been doing finally paid off two weeks ago when the Devils won against Dunbar with a final score of 21 to 6. It was a huge victory for the team.
“Everyone was pretty excited,” DiNardo said. “The seniors haven’t won a game since sophomore year so it was a pretty big deal, especially being a district win.”
Even with a win under their belt, the team still faced challenges throughout the season.
“[The season has gone] not as expected,” DiNardo said. “We’ve started to turn it around during districts.”
During the district tournament, teams compete for first and second place. Those top teams move on and compete in the knockout rounds of the regional tournament. Once a team loses, they are out and their season is over.
“We have one [more] regular season game,” DiNardo said. “Then a guaranteed playoff game.”
If the team gets knocked out of the district tournament, then most of the seniors’ football careers will be over, unless they play on playing collegiately.
“I plan on playing in college,” DiNardo said, “hopefully [at] EKU. There’s a couple of other players who want to play in college [as well].”
There are 18 seniors on the varsity roster getting celebrated this Friday at their last regular season game. They leave a great legacy that will be felt as the HC Football program carries on without them.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” DiNardo said. “Time flies by fast, so make the most of it.”
DiNardo appreciates the opportunities he has had playing with this team and will definitely miss the people he is leaving behind next year.
