The Creekside Knights have had a bumpy start to their season. The Knights current record is 0-2, as they lost to the Mandarin Mustangs and the Nease Panthers.
Last season, Creekside went 5-5 in the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. They also won their first district championship in school history. Head coach Sean McIntyre graduated 34 seniors from that team and 17 of them were starters.
The Knights are currently feeling the growing pains of having a young, inexperienced team, however McIntyre said it does not change the mindset. “The standard doesn’t change, the standard doesn't wane,” he said.
Creekside has started out the season utilizing a two-quarterback system with Rozzi Sperry and Harrison Leddy. Sperry is a sophomore and Leddy is a junior, and McIntyre said they both have different strengths and are splitting reps 50/50. “It’s just about figuring out what is best in that moment for our offense and going with that,” he said.
Even though the Knights are a predominantly young team with several sophomores playing critical roles, McIntyre’s faith in his system remains unwavering. “There is a lot of opportunity for growth with them and just understanding you have to go through the fire to be hardened.” he said. He admitted his team’s youth and inexperience on offense is the biggest challenge they are working through right now. “We have to put them through the fire and make sure they are ready.”
Even though an 0-2 start is not ideal, McIntyre believes he has a tough, resilient team with a lot of strong leaders. “The strongest steel is created in the hottest fires.” he said.
The Knights next game will be against the Spruce Creek Hawks on September 5 at Creekside.
