The start of the 2021-2022 fall WCAL football season has been a bit shaky so far as the Crusaders have faced many formidable obstacles. Struggling with injuries, the Crusaders have not been able to keep their best guys out on the field. 

The expectation in the locker room and on the field has remained the same since the beginning of the season for the Crusaders. 

Emilio Cruz ’22 preached the “next man up” motto. He stated, “We all prepare the same way; yes we always want our best guys out there, but at the same time we prepare for everybody to know what to do just in case their number gets called.”

One of the players who has missed some time with injuries over this season is Ondrei Angeles ’22. He said: “It’s a terrible feeling […] there’s always the thought in the back of my mind that I could be making a difference out there knowing it’s my senior year […] The feeling is equally bad and at the end of the day we want everybody on the field healthy because the feeling of sitting out is terrible.” 

As much as the Crusaders have faced hardship, they can still make the playoffs if they perform well over the rest of the season. 

Leo Jimenez ’22 stated, “We just need to keep a positive mindset and fight our way out of our end goal which is to win a championship.” 

The Crusaders are not done yet and they still can do damage going forward into the season, pushing forward with the next man-up philosophy, and continuing to fight hard for a playoff spot with a record of 4 and 3.