With a 4-5 record, some might think that Symmes Valley High School’s football team is having a rough year, but behind the record there has been a lot of improvement and growth in this past season. The Vikings, based in Lawrence County, Ohio, are still focusing on finishing the season well and earning a playoff spot even though they had a bit of a rocky start. Despite troubles along the way, the team is making progress, and the players are optimistic that their hard work will have a good outcome.
One of the Vikings’ players, Ky-mani Roberts, talked recently about how much he loves his position.
“The thing I enjoy most about it is catching passes and scoring touchdowns,” he said of his role as wide receiver. He thinks that the team has improved a lot since their first game this year. When sharing his goals for the team, Roberts said “to make it to the playoffs and win SOC is our goal.” He also shared how important it is to play well in their final game. He wants to let young athletes know the value of never giving up and following their dreams.
Tucker Ross, the center for the Vikings, had a somewhat different opinion on this year’s season. Ross said that the season has been on the rougher side, and hasn’t gone exactly the way they wanted, but he remains hopeful that it will all work out.
“The season has been a little rough—it hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but it’s coming together,” Ross said. He added that he has trust in the team’s ability to get better in their last game.
“One goal is to just win these last two games and go to the playoffs,” he said prior to Friday night’s 26-22 loss to Portsmouth Notre Dame. He gave younger athletes simple but effective advice: Just keep your head down and keep getting better.
According to Dylan Urban, the quarterback of the team, the offense has seen the most improvement during this season. He said that the positive changes that are seen on the field are due to better coaching, playmaking and players being capable of playing multiple positions. Playing both sides of the ball is very important for the Vikings since the team only has a little over 30 players. With the lack of players, the boys have to have a lot of endurance to get through an entire game.
The players on the Symmes Valley Vikings have their minds set on winning their last remaining regular-season game against South Gallia this Friday in order to make a good run for the playoffs. Ross and Roberts both stated the value of this last game in achieving their season goals. Team leaders like Roberts, Ross and Urban are ready to give their absolute best as the season comes to an end. They know that their chances of making the playoffs depend on how they play in the last game, so they are prepared to play their hardest. Regardless of the outcome of the season, their hard work and growth has not been overlooked, and the community is very proud of them.
