By Carlo Jimenez ’19
As school starts up and students slowly warm back up to the new school year, there is one group of guys who have been preparing for the big return and are back in prime condition: the varsity football team.
After all those double days with film, early morning weight room sessions, and countless hours spent on campus during the summer, the Bellarmine football team looks to translate their hard work to success on Friday nights.
Head Coach Mike Janda, 30 plus years into his coaching career, looks forward to working with this year’s team.
“It is exciting every year to get started with a new group of guys, to see how they will blend together and mold together to make a good team,” he said.
With the Bells getting ready for league play which begins on September 21st against Archbishop Riordan, Coach Janda recognizes how strong this year’s WCAL is.
“The league has gotten stronger, and stronger, and stronger every year,” he emphasized.
Bellarmine will need to bring their A-game every single night, especially against teams such as St. Francis and Serra who are both coming off state championships. Coach Janda understands how any game in the WCAL must be taken seriously.
“Every week is going to be a difficult game. It is not like the old days where you had some gimmes in there, so there is no doubt every game is going to be a tough one,” he highlighted.
The Bells open their season at home, which will be one of three games that they will play at San Jose City College. Bellarmine won all of their league games on the road last season, but Coach Janda noted that preparation is key. The Bells are a team which prides themselves on hard work, so preparation is a forte of this team.
“It doesn’t matter where you play, it is how you’ll get yourself ready to play,” he said.
Coach Janda believes that depth will be one of the major changes between last year’s and this year’s team. With big names like Claude Cole ‘18, Cade Hall ‘18, and Austin Ajiake ‘18 all going off to play football in college, Coach Janda knows that everyone will need to shoulder a heavier load. He spoke to the hope of this year’s team. “To play the best we can to the best of our ability…it’s always our expectation to give the best all the time,” he said.
The Bellarmine Bells will take on Archbishop Riordan Friday, September 21st at San Jose City College. Kickoff will be at 7 pm.