When you’re in a hotly contested race for a district crown, you can’t let up for a second. Not even at practice. The Spartans headed into Saturdays game tied for first with 2 other teams with 2 to play. Rewind history 4 short years, and snagging a district title wasn’t anything Stratford players dared to dream. But when Brett Nixon arrived on the scene last year, that all changed.
The Spartans made the playoffs last year for the first time in 4 years and this year, their confidence in themselves was fairly high. Maybe too high. After winning 7 in a row in their non district schedule, they were feeling ready for district play.
It was the wakeup call they needed as they’ve won 12 of their last 14 games and had a record of 24-5 going into Saturday. The Spartans get big push from underclassmen as they count on 6-7 non-seniors to help produce.
The Spartans got bounced in the post season last year in the first year. But this year, they feel it’s different. And that comes from their coach and his immense belief in them.