By Leah Bayley-Hay
Editor-in-Chief
This weekend No. 25 Stevenson football went head-to-head with No. 10 Delaware Valley and experienced their first season defeat. Before Saturday’s game, SU football was sitting with a 4-0 record overall and 2-0 in the MAC. With a strong start, the team’s saving grace this season seems to be their ability to assess and correct – normally coming back even stronger after halftime.
Last weekend at Widener, the Mustangs went to halftime 14-10, behind Widener by four points. With proper adjustments to better handle the techniques the Pride was bringing to the field, the Mustangs were able to double down after halftime and secure a 30-14 win.
For Saturday’s match, this was sadly not the case. By the second half of the game, Del Val was in the lead 12-0. SU didn’t score its first – and only – touchdown until the fourth quarter; however, their fighting Mustang spirit was present throughout the game.
With only two minutes left in the fourth quarter, SU was still pushing onwards and making plays showing their opponents and fans that they weren’t going down without a fight.
The team moves forward with their eyes set on the next game and no intention of taking another loss and this attitude is precisely what makes Stevenson a strong team with even stronger potential.
As emphasized by head football coach Ed Hottle, “You learn far more about yourself and about your football program when you’re not successful on a Saturday.” We have seen time and time again that Stevenson football is a team that learns from everything that happens on the field – defeat is no different.
“It’s [losing a game] a growth opportunity and an opportunity to learn about us and learn about how we’re gonna rebound,” Hottle said. Moving forward, looking at games like Saturday’s and learning from them will be crucial in the team’s success against formidable foes in the future. But as it’s known, the Mustangs never back down from a fight.
At the end of the day, the future of the football program at Stevenson and the Mustangs revolves around a commitment to being consistent. Hottle highlighted that overall consistency and dedication in all areas of the team’s lives make great players on the field.
“It’s a commitment to the weight room, it’s constantly recruiting…the continued commitment to character development and honestly the commitment to the classroom and graduation,” Hottle said.
