At Parkway Central, the team is no stranger to wins, losses, injuries, or even heat waves. But what they know, possibly best of all, is a sense of camaraderie; a sense of responsibility that starts with the coaches, taking care of their players, and goes all the way down to the freshmen who look up to their captains. These seniors know this game like the back of their hand, so it’s up to them to pass that down to those that are younger. 

Max Sailors, senior offensive and defensive line, on the varsity football team, talks about the differences in his mindset, now that he is a captain. 

“It’s special because now the younger guys look up to me, and there’s just more respect,” Sailors said. “I feel like I can be more vocal now, and people will actually listen.”

Quinn Boc, a senior linebacker, shares the same sentiment regarding leadership for the team’s good.

“I’m just always trying to uplift the team because there’s a lot more responsibility this year since the team is younger so I just want to be a good role model,” Boc said.

Boc adds to this point, mentioning his goals for the team, on a larger scale outside of just himself. 

“I want to see the team get better every single week. Each person just needs to get better at his job each day,” Boc said. 

Head coach Ryan King recognizes that this season poses an especially big obstacle when it comes to team improvement. 

“The biggest challenge is the youth, and getting the team to play at a higher level,” King said. “The older kids are adjusting to having a new level of responsibility because they are able to make bigger contributions to the team.” 

King makes it clear that, as a coach, his attention is not on their season record. 

“I have never been focused on wins and losses. The biggest thing, for me, is growth and being better than you were at the week before, and the start of the season,” King said. 

Sophomore Colin Applebaum clearly picked up on this message from his coach, as seen through his game-day mindset. 

“I don’t think the scoreboard really matters because we just need to get better as a team, and prepare for playoffs,” Applebaum said. “We just need to get better and better every week, and build off of losses.” 

When it comes to football plays, assistant coach Michael Wright makes sure they are specifically tailored to the team of that year, mentioning how the coaches have changed some of their defensive alignments to better fit the personnel they are working with now. 

King talks of this idea- adapting the game plans to fit the players, rather than forcing the team to do things that don’t fit them. 

“The players change every year, so we want to play to their strengths and weaknesses, too,” King said. 

Applebaum, only a sophomore, is one of few underclassmen on varsity, and he is the quarterback no less.

“It’s definitely a big step up from JV. There is more pressure to execute everything correctly because the gameplay is faster,” Applebaum said. 

However, Applebaum is in an especially unique position. His brother, Logan Applebaum, a 2023-2024 Central graduate, was the varsity linebacker, so Colin feels a different degree of demand. 

“I’m just trying to get better because he left a big presence behind,” Applebaum said. “I definitely feel the need to exceed expectations since there is a sense of legacy to carry on.” 

The next game for the Colts is this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Parkway West High for the Mayors Cup.