Facing off against one of the top contenders for the District 6-5A championship, the Redhawks (0-3 District 6-5A) lost to Reedy (2-1 District 6-5A) 58-0  on Thursday at the Ford Center.

“It was kinda a perfect storm of playing a really good team with a lot of guys that were inexperienced on a really big stage,” head football coach Matt Swinnea said. “Things just kinda snowballed, and we had a hard time of just kinda getting things going.” 

With a roster featuring 10 sophomores, Thursday’s game was many athletes’ first time playing at the Ford Center. 

“I was very nervous,” sophomore Connor Johnson said. “When I think of The Star, I think of big giant lights, the stands, the dome, and in all, it’s a completely different atmosphere, opposed to Toyota or Kuykendall. So, the pressure was definitely there.”

The team can’t fixate on the loss as the next opponent on the schedule is another district championship contender.

“Next game against Lone Star [Sept. 28] we can’t let Reedy beat us twice by us not playing well against Lone Star,” Swinnea said. “So you know it’s back to the grind, fix the mistakes, show up ready to go next week.”

Although the result on the field wasn’t what any Redhawks fan wanted, the homecoming atmosphere was still enjoyable for sophomore Izzy Patrick.

“It’s really fun to go to the games with your friends,” she said. “Honestly, we kind of paid attention for the first 30 minutes. Just having a big group and talking, it’s more important to find your own fun than base it all on the game.”