Santa Fe vs. Gainesville High School Football Preview

Week five of the high school football season kicks off at 7 tonight with Gainesville hosting Santa Fe at Citizens Field.

The teams met in similar circumstances in week 5 of last year as well, with Santa Fe coming out on top 14-7 to take home its sole win of the season. The teams have had a lot of time to learn from their mistakes last season, as Gainesville High finished the season winless following their loss to Santa Fe.

A Young Team In The Making

Santa Fe (0-4) is a team that is primarily comprised of underclassmen with few seniors on the roster. Although Gainesville’s team (0-4) is built in a similar manner to Santa Fe’s, the Hurricanes’ seniors play bigger roles.

Santa Fe coach Joseph Szymanski discussed how the younger players are hesitant to voice their leadership.

Optimism & Positivity

Despite coming off of less than stellar seasons and both being winless, the optimism remains high for both teams. Gainesville almost secured its first win against Clay last week, but a fourth-quarter collapse ended with another loss.

After starting the season with three blowout losses, Santa Fe managed to put some points on the board in a 31-17 loss to North Marion in week four.  The Raiders’ spirits haven’t been crushed, according to Szymanski and they are looking forward to their first win.

Transfer Portal Issues

The high school transfer portal has created a whole load of questions and concerns in high school football. Many high school coaches have expressed their distaste for the high school transfer portal not being in the best interest.

Schools are never guaranteed to retain their younger talents as they could transfer to another school at any moment. Szymanski said that he just has to make due with what he’s got. The only thing that is in his jurisdiction is his ability to coach players and that’s it.