This year Granada’s JV Football Team finished this season with a perfect 10-0 record. Along with other coaches throughout the coaching staff, Coach Moses led a team full of sophomores to victory. On November 5th, 2021, Granada’s JV team was finally crowned undefeated when they won their final game at Livermore High School. To make a winning team it takes a lot of time work, but how did they do it? Was it just luck, was it all skill, or a bit of both?

To make a winning team there has to be a lot of things going on. The chemistry, the skill, the coaching and the attention to detail are all very important parts that have to be perfect for an undefeated season. But as many players and coaches know, players are made in the offseason, and teams are made in the season. To the outside eye, like myself or other people who don’t watch football or aren’t familiar with it, in the pros most teams start in the offseason to get better and ready for the next season. This applies to high school football too. A majority of Granada’s JV team was improving and getting to work in the summer, months before the season started. 

Coach Moses explained, “We had weight training in the mornings and we had our team workouts in the evening, we always worked out two days a week.” This was during the summer though when everybody was available. During the Spring, football players who weren’t playing spring sports would start early. So this team wasn’t made in a few days of practice, it was made over months and months of preparation for only 10 games. 

The summer and spring was also important for the coaches to see who would play at what level and who would be leading the group as a team captain. The team started off strong after winning their first scrimmage against Acalanes High School. “I felt after the first scrimmage we had against Acalanes, I felt we were gonna be good. I never envisioned an undefeated season. I thought we’d probably lose one or two games,” said Coach Moses. 

The summer did not fully determine who was going to lead the team. Coach Moses explained that once they got the pads on and started the season that’s when the coaching staff gets together and decides who’s going to be where and who’s going to do what. Coach Moses said there were no major problems this season that would have jeopardized the season.

 Another big reason the team kept winning big and had impeccable momentum was because of the energy from the sidelines. Joey Wiliams, the starting right guard, said, “Everybody had each other’s back and was constantly routing for each other. If somebody made a mistake, others would pick them up. It was a group effort, constantly.” But most teams have some kind of secret weapon. Like the Golden State Warriors, they have Stephen Curry. When I asked Coach Moses what he thought his secret ingredient was this season he had two answers: “Probably the main thing was our quarterback, Quinn Boyd. He was really good. He’s got the makings to be a Division one player. We had a lot of good pieces around him. But overall just the team concept. They understood as a team and as a group that they could be good, but you have to put the work in each and every day.” 

This season Coach Moses’ goal was to “Mold good young men.” Questions he would ask his team would be: “How are you in the classroom? How are you at home? Are you a good son? Are you a good brother? Just how are you in the community? How do teachers talk to you?”

JV had an undefeated season because of their unselfishness, great team energy, experienced coaching, preparation, and skilled team leaders. Coach Moses told his players to “Use this as a catalyst of life.”