The NHS football team approaches its sixth game of the season in a homecoming match-up against Barron Collier, marking the halfway mark of the season. 

“[The] team has played pretty well through the first five weeks of the season,” Head Coach Rick Martin said. “They do a good job of learning and building off of previous weeks.”

The players began their season with a 45-9 victory over Lehigh. This win was followed by a 12-11 loss to the defending state champions, Venice Indians. Since then, NHS has begun a winning streak that sits at two. 

“Our team has done a good job of being focused, prepared and locked in every week,” Martin said. “With that being said, we still have a lot to work on.” 

Although the team has an unexpected loss on their record, it has not affected the team’s spirits. The Golden Eagles are still operating on and off the field the same as they always do, and Martin and his coaching staff preach a winning mindset to the players weekly.

“We have a great locker room atmosphere,” Martin said. “Our locker room culture revolves around trust, respect, encouragement and hard work.” 

Sept. 30 is the NHS homecoming game against Barron Collier’s Cougars at Staver Field. Historically, the Cougar-Eagle match-up has been a rivalry for decades. To the students of both schools, this is important, but to the players of the respective teams, it’s just a divisional game they have to play and execute in. 

“For us, it’s a district game and it’s important that we treat it‌ as such,” Martin said. “It’s important that we come out and handle our business.”