The Rock Creek High School football team had a standout season, finishing with a 9-2 overall record and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. The team’s continued success is a testament to its growth, discipline and teamwork.
One of the early highlights came in a dominant 57-0 victory over Bonner Springs — a two-and-a-half-hour road trip that also happened to be Bonner Springs’ homecoming night.
“It was two and a half hours away, and it was their homecoming night…It was a really good starting game, because it set the tone of how we could be versus if we didn’t put in the effort,” Manager, Reagan Asbury, said.
Asbury loves her position of managing. She enjoys the fact that the sport has a team focus and everyone has to work together for the team to be successful.
“You can’t have one good player, because they could always get targeted and get hurt,” Asbury said. “It’s not a student-led thing…you have to listen to your coaches.”
While the team benefits from strong management, Head Coach Shane Sieben emphasizes that hard work and unity drive success.
“They have to be willing to work,” Sieben said, “There are no shortcuts to success. It takes what it takes, and that is a lot of hard work.”
Sieben’s connection to football runs deep. Sieben has always known he wanted to be a part of the game in some way or another. He has always been around the sport because his dad used to coach football. After his father stopped coaching, he then started officiating.
“I still remember working as a ball boy at games he would officiate and I absolutely idolized those Friday night heroes I got to watch” Sieben said.
Although the Bonner Springs win was impressive, a later game against Marysville proved to be a turning point for the team.
“Our kids played so hard and dominated the game from start to finish,” Sieben said, “The joy our kids had in the locker room after the game, as well as our coaching staff, was a fantastic moment.”
Football can mirror life in many different ways. You’ve got to work as a team. Sometimes that may be challenging.
“You face adversity every day in football and you have to work together as a team in order to succeed, Sieben said, “Success in football, like life, is not possible alone. You have to learn to work with others, trust others, rely on your teammates, and communicate with others in order to succeed.”
With a strong season behind them and valuable lessons learned, the Rock Creek football team is already laying the groundwork for future success for next year — one touchdown at a time.
