Brock Sutter, Reporter

It’s a new school year, and the Vista Ridge Rangers are getting ready to outperform the competition on the field. After an early varsity loss to Bowie and a prospective game on Friday, September 2, the Rangers are warming up for the season. To gain a better understanding of the team’s inner workings, this reporter spoke to junior Shaun Reisen, a player on the JV Red team.

 “I’m feeling great about this season. Between our teams, I feel we have the ability to wreak havoc against every team we will go against.” said Reisen.

Reisen, who became a football player in the 6th grade after playing baseball, is excited for the new season and the improvements that the team has made since his first year on the high school team. It’s a very different experience from the previous years.

“My first game at center in ninth grade, I didn’t have much knowledge of how to snap except for 6th grade and the few practices before the game to work with. Over half of the snaps were off. That was the biggest reason why we lost that game, and it hurt a lot. But the progress I and the team have made since then is a major difference. My favorite moment has to be last year when I jumped in defense with only a little prior knowledge on how to play, and got a sack on the quarterback on the first play. That’s a great feeling that’s hard to not like.”

Although the team has made many improvements, some obstacles are persistent for them. For example, a certain rival high school is one.

“We are going against Vandegrift near the end of the season, and they have been the biggest problem for us for a long while. They are our biggest challenge.  I feel the biggest thing we need to fix is our encouragement to our teams. Even the smallest things like that can go a long way.”

In Reisen’s eyes, the team could use a big boost from the audience. Support for the team encourages them to keep moving forward and do their best. And to Reisen, support doesn’t mean hanging up posters or putting out yard signs. For him, support is very simple. 

“The best way that Vista students can contribute is by making it to our games. Whether it’s varsity, JV or Freshmen, hearing y’all cheer is a big support for us to keep giving it our all. We really appreciate it, especially after a few bad plays or missed catches.”

Reisen is very confident in the team’s abilities this year and predicts good standings. One of the factors in this confidence is the camaraderie inspired by the team-intensive game. The teams are very close-knit and trust each other to play their roles and support the team’s victory.

“I really don’t think there is anything to change about our football team, other than working on making sure we can get our team to encourage each other, there isn’t much to change.  I would never want to change the people on the team, no matter what. Everyone on the Vista Ridge football team has the Vista Ridge blood. To show that we are brothers is something that can’t and won’t change. To everyone in Vista, y’all should start coming to games if you don’t. You could watch some great fights and watch us soar to new heights in the games, ‘cause we are going for districts, and we can make it with y’all’s help. So I hope to see y’all Thursday and Friday nights!”

With team spirit and team skill, our teams are looking forward to victory on the gridiron this season. To support the team and come to the Ranger’s games, tickets, dates and places can be found on the official Rangers website at https://vistaridgefootball.com/tickets/. The Rangers need our spirit and hope to see fans there!