On a small town Friday night, there is nothing better than sitting in the stands of your hometown’s stadium surrounded by your community. The air is electric as the Dogs make their entrance onto the field, under the bright stadium lighting.
But what’s better than that Friday night feeling? Leaving the stadium with a win pulled off by our Dogs.
Throughout the last couple of years, the Dogs have been caught up in a losing streak. For some other teams, this would cause a loss of motivation and leave them feeling indifferent about the game.
Not for our Bulldogs, however. They took their losses and used them as learning experiences. They are humble enough to know how the lows feel and take that feeling and use it to become better.
And that’s what they did. They became better.
For the past three weeks, the Bulldogs have brought home wins back to back for the first time in fourteen years!
It is quite evident that the Lakeview coach staff as well as the players worked extremely hard to achieve this record during the on and off season.
When asked if there were certain things done differently this off season, the team gave us various responses.
“We changed everything about us. The culture shift was necessary and we made it happen. We worked harder, for more time, with more effort, and it’s changing the way people see Lakeview football,” states one of the players.
Another player on the team stated, “We had got a new coach who had got us set right and has put us in the best position to win in the last few years and had kept up in the weight room and took care of ourselves all off-season.”
The Dogs are also proud of their impressive record, but feel that “the goal is always to improve” and “4-0 would feel better,” say the players.
The Dogs started off their 2023-2024 season with their first, non-conference game against Labrae with several thrilling plays.
Our team started off strong in the first quarter, with an impressive lead of 22-0. At halftime, the Bulldogs had a large lead of 35-7.Lakeview ended the night with their very first victory, scoring 41-14.
On the second Friday of the season, our Dogs took on Jefferson at Falcon Stadium. The Dogs blew them and their audience away when scoring the first touchdown within the first fourteen seconds of the first quarter! Lakeview then went on to defeat the Falcons 32-13.
The players felt very satisfied to have beat a rival. When asked if they prefer to win at home, they stated, “It depends on the mood” and “winning away, especially against a rival like Jefferson, it feels very good.”
Week three was the Bulldog’s home opener at Don Richards Memorial Stadium. They took on the Liberty Leopards. After a close game that kept the entire community on their feet, Lakeview pulled out a win of 40-31.
The energy that filled the stadium was ecstatic. The players state that winning “at home, in front of all your friends and family, and the Cortland community feels amazing.”
The results of their off season hard work has begun to shine and prove itself to our community and the communities of whom we play as well!
The next scheduled game for the battling Bulldogs is our homecoming game. It is this Friday, September 15 against the Niles Red Dragons. Kickoff will start at 7, we hope to see you there!
