Izzy Meyers

Senior Chingiz Bahadur and senior Jason Gallo work together to tackle an opposing player. The team geared up to play Sidwell Friends for their senior night on Halloween. “We have a lot of talented athletes,” coach Taylor Kramer said. “It’s encouraging to see what they’ve done [on the field].”

The Jefferson varsity football team lost against Sidwell Friends on Halloween night. Despite the loss, the team recognized its senior players throughout the night.

“It’s just special because it’s the culmination of four years of work,” coach Taylor Kramer said. “[It’s] for them to be recognized for the hard work that they’ve been doing.”

For many Jefferson seniors, their relationship with the team is a core part of their football career.

“I think the football team has [become] my second family because they’re just so intertwined with what I do during school and what I do after school,” senior captain wide receiver Jason Gallo said. “We just have this bond where it’s almost unbreakable.”

Over the course of the Jefferson seniors’ careers, they have seen major shifts in the team dynamic.

“We’ve had new coaches since [freshman year],” senior captain running back Abdul Bundu said. “So [there’s] kind of been a culture shift.”

Some seniors end up getting designated as captains, which requires a strong set of leadership skills in order to work effectively with the team.

“The type of leadership I use is kind of direct,” Gallo said. “I’ll tell someone to do something, but not as in like you have to; it’s [more] like we want to win and that’s why.”

For Jefferson senior players, this will be their last year playing football as part of their high school career.

“I’m definitely going to miss putting on the cleats and listening to music before the game,” Gallo said. “I’ll definitely miss the adrenaline.”

As the Colonials close off their season, Jefferson seniors look back at their time on the team.

“I’ve learned a lot of discipline and resilience,” Bundu said. “Football isn’t an easy sport, and doing something hard can really drive you to be a better person and perform well in other aspects of life.”