Riding off the momentum of the program’s first winning season in over five years, the Midtown football team is off to a 2-1 start with high expectations for the rest of their season.
After defeating Northview and B.E.S.T. Academy, head coach Delbert Ellerton said his players are talented enough to win more games than in the Knights’ 2022-23 campaign.
“We have a lot of talent,” Ellerton said. “Last year they had a successful season, and this year with the level of talent we have and the scheduling we have, we should be able to improve upon that. It’s just a matter of how much the team wants it, and what level of improvement they want to see compared to what they did last year.”
Last year, the Knights finished 6-4, the team’s first winning season since their 2016-17 season. Junior receiver Farris Duwayri believes this year the team can set a winning trend for future Midtown football teams.
“We have a strong team this year’ so I think we have the capacity to win most of the games in our schedule,” Duwayri said. “Last year we proved to ourselves and to the school that we have the potential to win games; so, hopefully, this season we can prove that again and create a winning culture.”
Next season the team will be reentering region play after a three-year hiatus, opening the Knights to a potential spot in the GHSA playoff bracket. Junior quarterback Ethan Ward said the team is more than prepared for regional play next season.
“I’m really excited for next season, the chance to play in playoffs is what every team wants,” Ward said. “We’re playing some really good teams this year like Druid Hills and Temple, which prepares us for what region games next year are going to feel like. We’ve come a long way from two years ago when we went to JV only; so, I think we’re gonna surprise some people.”
Ward says the team’s preseason training helped prepare for the season.
“We’re better overall as a team than we were last year, and we really understand how each other plays now,” Ward said. “We put in a lot of off-season work, whether that’s studying film or just pushing each other in practice, that has helped us start well.”
In the team’s first game against Mount Paran Christian, starting quarterback junior Noah Morrison sustained a season-ending concussion. Despite the setback, he believes the team will be able to compete without him.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating to be out for the year, to get my fifth concussion in five years is extremely unlucky,” Morrison said. “The offense will be able to produce just as well as before; we have a lot of talent on that side of the ball.”
Taking over as head coach at the beginning of the season, Ellerton has already seen improvement on some of the values he’s been trying to instill in the team.
“I’ve told the team this multiple times; I have seen a tremendous change in the team’s discipline from when I took over,” Ellerton said. “In the beginning, they didn’t necessarily do the small things like watch their language, and the first game, we had [two] of our players even get ejected. These past two games, I’ve been really pleased with the major improvement I’ve seen as far as staying disciplined.”
Duwayri expects the team’s winning trend to continue.
“We’ve got quite an easy schedule this year, and I think we can win a good amount of games after this,” Duwayri said. “I’m confident in our abilities to achieve another winning season.”
