The Redhawks soared above the Princeton Panthers 53-28 on Friday in a District 7-5A football game, giving the Redhawks a district record of 5-1, and clinching a playoff spot with two games left in the regular season.

“Princeton’s offense is pretty good,” senior Daniel Ajayi said. “They definitely aren’t a team we should’ve taken lightly. The key was to just slow down their fastest players and limit their effectiveness in the game. We especially tried to contain their quarterback.”

With the game plan set, quarterback junior Keldric Luster was able to put himself in position to set-up 7 touchdowns for the Redhawks, leaving the Panthers little room for error.

“Getting the ball in the play-maker’s hands, doing what is best for the team, and getting the win at the end of the day is always our goal going in, which we accomplished pretty well in [Friday’s] game,” Luster said.

Losing its only game 43-7 to Frisco, the Redhawks bounced back with two big wins leaving Ajayi to believe the team has the power to stand up to their final two competitors, Denison and Lovejoy.

“I think it’s just going to come down to how bad we really want it,” Ajayi said. “Do we want it as bad as these other teams who have been competing at such a high level for so long?”

Less than two years removed from ending a 20 game losing streak and a 1-9 regular season, the Redhawks want more. 

“As a team we have made the decision that we want to be among the great this year,” Ajayi said. “I think with our ambition and the strength the team has shown, we really can compete with the teams at that high of a level.”