Many of the students and faculty at The Nest had already circled the date on their calendars before the season even began. And not without reason – that day was the Redhawks’ homecoming.
As the season began to progress and the date drew closer, with the football team (1-4, 1-2) still searching for its first win under new head coach Chip Gregory, the usual hum of chatter surrounding games exploded into a full-throated frenzy, with one opinion drowning out all others: a five-game losing streak dating back to last season would be snapped on homecoming.
That’s exactly what happened as the Redhawks took down the Independence Knights (0-5, 0-3) 63-35 at The Star Friday.
“It feels good but I’m happy for all of these kids to get the first win in for the season,” Gregory said. “Wouldn’t be nothing better to do it in front of our fans on homecoming night. I’m the last one in line, I do it for everybody else. I’m happy we were able to execute at a high level. There’s nothing better than watching them celebrate each other and getting the win, seeing things come to fruition.”
On a night that saw the Redhawks light up the scoreboard with senior, quarterback Kai Bunting, throwing for three touchdowns and seniors, running back Daniel Essien and wide reciever and Washington State University, commit Matthew McClain each scoring two touchdowns, it was sophomore Brody Schramek, who may have put up the most staggering numbers: seven carries for 291 yards, averaging 41 yards per carry, along with two touchdowns.
“Honestly I was just focused on making sure I was doing my job and capitalizing when I got my opportunities,” Schramek said. “At the end of the day, my team winning is what matters.”
Schramek focusing on the team doesn’t surprise Gregory..
“That speaks to his work throughout the summer,” Gregory said. “He’s a young talent. The sky is the limit for him. I’m just happy for a young guy like him to have that much success and hopefully it bleeds over into the rest of the season. He’s another guy who just supports his teammates and celebrates with his teammates.”
There were a few tense moments as the Knights closed to within two scores in the second half, but Gregory’s eyes, the Redhawks didn’t let up.
“Those guys didn’t stop and they gave a lot of effort to finishing the play and executing,” Gregory said. “The effort and discipline is unmatched. They’re collaborating and taking advantage of having a senior-led team.”
Siddhartha Manubothu contributed to this article.
