By Ashly Herlihy
Correspondant
Opening their season 4-1 for the first time in nearly a decade, the College’s football team knows how to make an impression, but can that impression hold for a six-hour trip to Castleton, Vt.?
Approaching the middle of their season, the College has won its past three home games, going 1-1 in the conference, while Castleton has started 0-2. The two teams will play in the next conference game on Oct. 18 in Vermont. Castleton is the newest addition to the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and will bring the Lions to their home turf, six hours north of campus.
The team will embark on their trip on Friday morning, causing student athletes to be excused from classes and prior commitments. Traveling out to distant states for NJAC games is not out of the ordinary for the College, but for many students, this may be their first time and they need to properly prepare. Bill Westerby, a senior Linebacker and technology education major for the Lions, commented on the distance for the game, saying, “That’s what we came here to do. Play other people and show that we can do it, show what New Jersey’s about.”
Distance doesn’t matter for this team; they’re making history and it doesn’t just stop in Jersey. When traveling out to Vermont, the team will spend a six-hour bus ride together catching up on schoolwork, studying game plans, and enjoying New England foliage, all while preparing for a new NJAC conference matchup.
Traveling out of state to play received positive feedback from players, for the experiences, team bonding and overnight stays, but with conference games, a lot is on the line for postseason play. However, after a dominating conference win on homecoming against William Patterson, spirits are peaking going into Castleton. But can the newly added distant conference game affect momentum?
Head coach Tyler Moody had this to say about the upcoming trip: “It's an opportunity to strengthen the bond because you're doing the thing, you know, just somewhere else.” Boiling it down to the basics, Coach Moody refers to it as “run fast, hit hard.”
Despite maintaining the academic workload on this trip, the structure and camaraderie of the college’s excursion are what keep the players determined, not distracted. Coach Moody explained that quick trips like these are good exposure for student-athletes. Balance and competition are a great mix in expanding the horizon for the Lions.
With Castleton being the newest addition to the NJAC, it’s currently uncertain if the conference will keep expanding and include more distant out-of-state teams. With the opportunity to play distant colleges and experience more of a potential NCAA bracket, teams in the NJAC can be equipped with more experience for postseason play.
As football prepares to take on the Spartans at their home field advantage, the players are confident in their abilities, on and off the field. For these student athletes, football is competitive and so is remaining diligent in the classroom. A constant stake between chasing wins and chasing grades, the college’s players are built to succeed.
Tune in to watch the Lions take on Castleton on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 12 p.m. on FloCollege.com.
