Down, set, hike! The JV Butter Bowl was on October 19th at Sunlake Stadium. Students and parents shuffled into the stands. The players started pregame warmups. Going into the game, players like number 12, Bear Keating, were very excited. Keating recalls,” I was throwing well pregame and ready to get out there with my guys.” There was a lot of pressure since the Seahawks were going against Sunlake’s biggest rivals, the Land O’ Lakes Gators.
The players kicked it off at 7 with some great plays. Bear admits, “There were some ups and downs. I tried to stay relaxed and poised because the last couple of games, I wasn’t relaxed, and it messed with my game.” The most intense moment and unarguably best part of the game was “…the punt block that we had, which led to our touchdown, which was really exciting. I was on the sidelines because offense just got off, and I was watching my boys on defense, and it was very exciting.” At the end of the night, the Seahawks beat their rivals 6-0. Bear says, “A win is a win, and I’m proud that we won.”
Bear Keating is a freshman who also plays quarterback. Before the game, Keating had mixed feelings; he was nervous and excited. This was his first Butter Bowl and his first game back from having a neck injury. Unlike some players that may get hyped with songs, Bear does quite the opposite: “No songs, I try to be okay with silence because in the game, it’s really silent in my head. When I’m really nervous, I read the Bible; it helps me connect with God and relaxes me. It allows me to trust my journey.” He tries to have the confidence to go to every game with a positive mentality; he even says, a “…positive attitude…” is key. Overall, he thought he did “…okay,” though he also said, “I could’ve done a lot better.” His favorite moment in the game was a play that originally started as a go-route but was covered. This caused Bear to drop into the pocket and complete the pass to sophomore Ace Missbach, number 14. The moment to change was a pass where someone dived at his feet. “I felt the pressure…” so he was unable to throw the ball to his full potential. Bear couldn’t have been happier to end the fall season with a win.
