The Wildcat Football team is approaching a brand new season, and they have trained and prepared for the upcoming Friday night games. Preparing for this new season is Junior Ty Ruley, who is going into his ninth year playing football.

“I play quarterback, and my favorite part about it is that I control the offense. I have the ability to change the play to what I think is going to work best against the defense,” Ruley said. 

Ruley, as well as his teammates, practice very hard and have been for most of their lives.

“I’ve been watching football with my family since I was little, for as long as I can remember. It is still one of my favorite things to do in my free time,” Ruley said. “I’m glad I get to do what I was inspired by when I was little.”

The ‘Cats are planning to play some of the teams that have beaten them in the past and strongly encourage students and faculty at RCHS to come out and support their teams.

“It’s really important to come to every game, but especially the Spotswood game. It is going to be a big one because, two years ago, they knocked us out of the playoffs at Spotswood,” said Ruley. “Last year, not only did they beat us, but they won the division. We have them at home this year, so we plan on finally beating them and winning the division. We are also very excited to play Alleghany because we are definitely going to beat them.”

The Wildcats Football team has been practicing for months, even over the summer, and they are prepared for the challenges they will face. Most of the players are also in strength training, which helps them stay in shape even more. Coaches such as Zachary Rhodenizer have planned a lot of grueling off-season workouts. As the season begins, they are ready to show everyone how they have improved.

“Our off-season workouts included lifting and competitions with other schools,” said Rhodenizer. “Our players worked hard both physically in the weight room and on the field, and mentally to learn and perfect the playbook.”

After a long summer of work, the ‘Cats have begun the season strong, beating their rival team, Parry McCluer High School, 62-0, at an away game.

“We are 100% ready for all of the challenges we will face on the field. We have really improved as a team in a lot of ways compared to last year,” Ruley said. “We are now aware of how well we can play and what we can do.”