By Samantha Bonifas
The Silver Lake Mustang football team traveled to Lincoln to fight against the Parkview Christian Patriots for a spot in the second week of playoffs on October 29. The Mustangs started the game slow and were unable to get into an offensive groove. “It was just the little things,” said senior captain Brock Karr. “We came out with fire, but we made a lot of little mistakes.” The Patriots jumped to an early lead. Although Silver Lake finally did find ways to make the offense work, the Patriots beat the Mustangs 50-38. “When we came out in the second half, we were a lot more prepared and fixed those mistakes. I honestly think if we came out like we came out the second half, we could have won,” said Karr. Junior Jake Knehans finished the game with 233 passing yards. Freshman Casey Conway led the Mustangs with 67 receiving yards. Junior Cody Pankoke followed with 53. Leading Silver Lake for tackles were Karr and sophomore Brayden Hemberger with 15 and 7, respectively.
While the Mustang men wished to have gone farther into playoffs, this season was one to remember with the first playoff appearance since 2016. The season was made by a new mindset in the offseason. Karr finishes his career proud of his teammates. “Being able to finish my last years with this hard-working team meant a lot to me. I am so proud of the boys and the work that they put into the game.” Karr ended his career with many accomplishments: 4th all-time season tackles, 5th all-time career interceptions, 5th all-time career tackles, 9th all-time career receiving yards, and 2nd in solo tackles in the state this season. “I was never going to play football. I hated the sport, but I decided I would try one year. I stuck at it and now it is my favorite sport. I have improved so much since day one, and it’s all thanks to the coaches. They believed in me from day one and coached me to be the athlete I am today. There were some ups and downs, but they made me really love the game.” The Mustang football team ended their season with a 5-4 record. They lose seniors Brock Karr, Michael Trausch, and Ashton Kenley, but look forward to a new season and new growth next year.