Shari Sooklal and Priscila Tolentino
As the holiday season begins, it is the end for several things. One thing that is wrapping up around the holiday season is the 2023-2024 high school football season This has been a great season for the Cardozo varsity football team. This season, the team had six wins and two losses.
Games This Season
Sept. 14: Cardozo v. Dewitt Clinton (L) 32-6
Sept. 22: Cardozo vs. Mckee Staten Island Tech (W) 28-22
Oct. 1: Cardozo vs. Franklin D. Roosevelt High School (W) 28-20
Oct. 6: Cardozo vs. Boys and Girls High School (L) 28-14
Oct. 20: Cardozo v. Stuyvesant High School (W) 16-0
Oct. 27: Cardozo v. Fort Hamilton (W) 22-14
Nov. 5: Cardozo v. Lehman Campus (W) 40-26
Nov. 18: Cardozo v. Brooklyn Technical (L) 26-14
Talking to Assistant Varsity Football Coach Sean O’Connor, he shared he is very pleased and happy with how the team played this season. “Without question our toughest games were in the beginning of the season. It’s just a matter of the hand that you’re dealt with, the players that come to your school and try to show them the game of football.”
Coach O’Connor also shared that many of the players are learning the game for the first time and also playing for the first time. “It can be looked upon as a great learning opportunity for the new players,” he explained.
O’Connor also shared that as a coach, he has learned a lot from this season. “You hear people talking about the more you do something you learn how to become more patient with the expectations,” he reflected. “I’ve become a better reader of people’s character, which I think is super important as a coach because again when you have 40 players on a team, everyone has their own personalities and brings something different to the table.” Coach O’Connor also shared that several players from Cardozo’s varsity team are being nominated for the Conference team.
Many varsity players also reflected on the end of the football season, as well. Some of the football players shared that this football season took a toll on their mental health. “Mentally I wasn’t in the right state of mind and I kind of risked that because I couldn’t focus on my health physically,” shared Tristan Joseph, who plays right guard.
Despite the many challenges that the players faced, it seems that the 2023-2024 football season is the start of a new athletic journey for many Cardozo athletes.