The football team will play its Homecoming game against Marcus at the Brian Brazil Stadium on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. The team has started the season with a 2-2 record and sits in last place in the district standings, following the 49-14 loss to Coppell.
“When you put any game on Homecoming, there’s a lot of pressure to win, especially with it being against Marcus,” Crayton said. “It’s a rivalry game, so there’s definitely added pressure, but it’s a privilege to be able to have that pressure. That means people expect us to win and expect us to play well.”
The past two seasons Hebron has lost to Marcus, with last season’s matchup coming down to the wire in a 34-33 overtime loss after the team was up 27-7 at the beginning of the third quarter. Head coach John Towels said playing difficult opponents like Coppell and Southlake Carroll early on this season — with both teams ranked top ten in the state — has been beneficial to the team.
“At the end of the day, we have to focus on who we’re playing for that week and give them everything [we] have,” Towels said. “We have to refocus and move forward this week against Marcus. The teams we have played haven’t hurt us because we’ve taken so much away [from those games] to make ourselves better.”
Along with the Homecoming game, the week includes the Homecoming parade, an after school community pep rally, spirit week, game day pep rally and Homecoming court announcements. Defensive end Clay Lindmark said the festivities help the team have a fun experience and keep their energy up.
“[The festivities] lighten the mood,” Lindmark said. “There’s a lot of pressure on us to go out there and beat Marcus for Homecoming, [especially] coming off a loss. But it’s nice to lighten the mood and remember that this isn’t life or death. It helps [us] remember that [we’re] playing a game. [We just have to] go out there and have fun, because that’s when we’re playing [our] best.”
Both Lindmark and Crayton said that the team is eager to play their rivals again. Crayton said that the loss to Marcus last season left a bad taste in his mouth and he is looking forward to going out and performing in front of the Homecoming crowd.
“I’ve been waiting for this game ever since my sophomore year,” Crayton said. “I’m making an effort not to lose this year. [I’ve been] preparing, watching more film than I have in the past, understanding their defense and trying to get any advantage I can to be able to bring us a win on Friday.”
This week, Towels said he is looking to change his history against Marcus, as he is yet to take home a victory against the school’s rival as the head coach. He said the team has worked to minimize their recent mistakes and looks forward to showing their progress in front of a home crowd.
“I hope that we execute and play hard,” Towels said. “I believe in our kids. I believe every week that we’re capable of winning. That mindset will never change because I know the work that we put in, so we just have to go out there and do it again. I care less who [the opponent] is; I expect the same thing each week. It’s the standard that we have to have in order to be successful.”
