Author: Julie Xu
Currently ranked number eight in Division III athletics, according to D3Football.com, Oxy’s football team is ready to reign victorious at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Although the first game of the season against Menlo College (42-25) was a disappointment, the motivation that came from the loss has been driving the football team ever since.
With triumphant wins against the University of Puget Sound (44-14), Whittier College (24-22) and the University of La Verne (30-0) under the team’s belt, the Tigers are aiming for first place at SCIAC, as well as the chance to compete at the playoffs this season.
The team is especially ambitious because Head Coach Dale Widolff returned to the playing field on Oct. 13. After being suspended for violating NCAA Bylaws, Widolff is back to resume his training regimen and make up for lost time.
The Tigers are taking Wildolff’s return well, to say the least. “It’s great to have Coach Widolff back,” Kevin Nagy (sophomore) said in an e-mail interview. “He’s the backbone of our team and everything runs smoother when he is here.”
With a full coaching staff leading the team once again, the Tigers are training more rigorously and more efficiently than ever before. “We start practice with warm-ups and some dynamic stretches,” Rocky Maldonado (first-year) said. “After that we go through a series of practice periods that include special teams, individual offensive and defensive focus and team scrimmage.”
These practices often occur in the early morning. “It’s pretty rough,” Nagy said. “We usually have 6 a.m. lifting, then meetings at lunch and practice at night.”
Still, the team is willing to put in the work required to secure a SCIAC championship, even if it costs them a little sleep.
The team’s commitment, determination and willingness to work hard pay off when the Tigers step onto the field. These qualities are some of the team’s greatest advantages. “Our biggest strength is our determination to win,” Nagy said.
Wanting nothing but to be the best, the players often push themselves to their limits during competitions, reveling in the rush that accompanies each game.
“I feel the adrenaline going when I’m out on the field with my teammates. It is a rush that I can’t get out of my system,” Maldonado said. “I feel like I need to prove not only to me but also to all the fans and to my teammates and coaches that I am capable of being the player that I see myself as.”
Many of the players see themselves as formidable opponents and believe they have what it takes to outsmart the competition. “Some of our team’s biggest strengths are our speed on the field and our intelligence out there,” Maldonado said.
Though proud of their abilities, the team members are also aware of their weaknesses. The majority of the players concede that the team is a bit undersized, but they make up for this disadvantage with intensity.
Offensive play is also in its developmental stages and is therefore not as strong as it could be, but the problem will soon be solved due to Widolff’s offensive-minded training strategies.
Widolff’s training regimen will come in handy as the Tigers prepare to take down one of their biggest rivals, Pomona-Pitzer. This game was also noted in the Los Angeles Times as being one of the biggest games in Southern California.
Come out and support your Tigers on Oct. 16 as we wait to see the scoreboard change from 3-1 to 4-1.
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