September 22nd was not a normal night for anyone who witnessed what went down on Mayo’s turf field. The Mayo varsity football team took their first win of the season against cross town rivals Century Panthers, but it was so much bigger than that. This was the first time Mayo has won a Homecoming game in the last five years. Mayo’s defeat of the Panthers surprised everyone with a final score of 45-13.
The Homecoming king himself Malik Franklin started off the game with a big run for a touchdown to get the momentum going, and he didn’t stop there. Malik finished the game with four touchdowns, 47 receiving yards, and 125 rushing yards. Israel Lozoya also scored on a big run and finished the game with over a hundred yards. With leaders like that, the Spartans were bound to win.

The students and fans could feel it; the energy was amazing, wild, and contagious. In the final seconds of the game, fans lined up in rows, ready to storm the field to take the jug and return it to its rightful home. Since last year the Panthers defeated Mayo in sections, which ended Mayo’s season, this year’s win was the sweet revenge everyone had been waiting for. When the final whistle blew, the fans rushed the field, screaming from the top of their lungs, surrounding the football team, and congratulating them on there win. While everyone was distracted with the beauty of the final score, the fireworks, and the raging crowd, Coach Holcomb was focused.
Coach Holcomb knew that this was just one win and was already thinking about ways to improve for the next week. He teaches the athletes that there is always room to grow, and his team was just breaking the surface of their true potential. He knew that they couldn’t stop there if they wanted to be taken seriously by any good team in the state. No one could hide the fact that the previous weeks weren’t the best for the Spartans. They had taken three losses, facing two ranked teams, the Owatonna Huskies and the Austin Packers. So this win was the first real glimpse of what they could actually do when they eliminate all the mistakes like turnovers and missed player responsibilities. Even through the three game losing streak, Coach Holcomb had faith in his team and never doubted them. After each loss Coach Holcomb would tell his team what they did wrong and made sure they did not hang their heads. The following week they would work harder to eliminate the repetitive mistakes.

Now the team has earned two consecutive wins in which they have outscored the opposing team by at least three touchdowns, then took a 21-7 loss to Northfield the following week. With projected starting players like Jake Klingle and Eli Hart returning from injuries, there is nowhere for the team to go but forward.

This week we face off against the New Prague Trojans, who currently have the same record as the Spartans. This will be a good test for the Mayo Spartans to prove to everyone they have what it takes to be taken seriously in the Big Nine.