With the P-Town Beatdown rivalry game just hours away, Titan Assistant Coach Nate Wesson, who played on the opposing side about 15 years ago, said that personal history made this game mean “a little bit more” to him.
“It’s a cool perspective to the rivalry, and it’s just as fun and exciting now,” the former Monarch, Wesson, said.
Last year’s matchup ended with a 28-7 loss for the Titans, so the team is looking for students to fill the visitors side stands, on the east side of Foundation Field, to roar them back to victory Friday night.
Senior quarterback Chase Cunningham said enthusiastic cheers and chants from the Black Hole student section boost morale and create a lively atmosphere, making the team feel more motivated and confident.
“We need as much energy as we can get,” Cunningham said. “If the crowd and students are energetic, we become energetic, then we play good.”
The Titans are starting the season with several new transfers on the team, including three wide receivers: Alexzander Fisher-Teko and Kenyann Hunt from Bellevue West, and Elon Washington from Bellevue East. Additionally, the team is integrating players promoted from the freshman and junior varsity teams.
Senior offensive and defensive lineman Aiden Whitted anticipated a significant impact from these new and promoted players.
He emphasized “effort and hard work” from everyone on the team.
“If you’re going to make a mistake, make the mistake going 100 mph,” Whitted said. “If you go fast, everyone else is going to go fast, and if everyone is doing it, you’re going to get faster day by day.”
Whitted and Cunningham are among the four newly appointed senior captains, with the other two being Tye McDougal and Ben Shafer.
Cunningham said it meant a lot for him to be starting at the QB position. “It means the team can trust me,” Cunningham said, “and they can lean on me to execute during game day and practices.”
Following a 5-5 season and a brutal 42-8 loss to Elkhorn South in the first round of the 2023 Class A NSAA State Football Championships, the Titans set ambitious goals for this new season. The team’s primary objective is to win the district title and advance further in the playoffs.
Captain and senior linebacker McDougal said the team would be aiming high both on and off the field.
“On the field, I think we have a very good chance at winning districts. I think that’s our goal — and obviously getting past the playoff game hump,” McDougal said. “Off the field, we build a strong bond together and have a great season.”
To accomplish that, the team established a Unity Council, designed to foster collaboration, strengthen relationships, and ensure that all members are aligned with the team’s core values and goals.
“We have meetings together and discuss any problems we have,” said McDougal, a member of the council. “If there are any player conflicts, or if they are acting out, we bring them in and have a meeting with them to make sure we are all on the same page and moving toward the same goals.”
The Titans will next face the Omaha North Vikings on Sept. 6, and then the Millard North Mustangs for Homecoming on Sept. 13. The team will begin district play on Sept. 27 against the Norfolk Panthers.
