The freshman football team, led by head coach Steve Smith, started their season strong with a victory in their opening game. They beat Calvert Hall 38-19 on September 8. They lost their game on September 14 against Paul VI by a score of 16-20, but they hope to bounce back against Georgetown Prep at the end of the month and then go on a streak.

They have big shoes to fill this year compared to last year’s freshman team, which finished with a record of 6-2. The good thing about being on the freshman football team is that a lot of people think freshman teams aren’t good and they underestimate them. They can use it as motivation to play better and show the varsity and JV coaches what they can do.

Grant Diedrick, the starting quarterback, and De’Lonzo Hinnant, the starting running back, can lead their team to victory and know what it means to wear DeMatha across their chests. Diedrick said that the way they will win the rest of their games is “to get back in the lab and keep working hard.”

Having good practices and team chemistry will boost their confidence a lot; it will make them feel stronger and faster and they will believe in themselves more. De’Lonzo Hinnant said that what they need to work on as a team is to “be more aggressive.” The more aggressive they are, the more they will fly around the field and make plays.