The 2023 football playoff season was an incredible success to everyone involved. Both the coaches and players did an amazing job that led us to the farthest we’ve been in years. 

Although we may not have made it to the state championships, we put tremendous amounts of effort into every game and all coaches and athletes are extremely proud of the progress they made. 

“Everything happens for a reason,” defensive back and senior JaMaire Baber said. “God made it happen and losing the third round was sad but it happened for a reason.”

Baber was defensive back for the varsity football team and knew from the beginning that he and his teammates would perform their best. 

“I knew we were going to go pretty far because throughout the season we were working hard and really trying to go far,” Baber said. “We wanted to do better for Lamar since Lamar hasn’t gone far in the playoffs for quite a while.”

Head football coach and social studies teacher Phillip Lindsey was surprised at the amount of leadership his athletes presented in the games. 

“It wasn’t a huge surprise but they had great leadership this year and were a very player led team,” Lindsey said. “It was very fun to watch.”

Every player put in every fiber of energy they had into the playoff games. Lamar hasn’t gone this far in the playoffs for a while, so it motivated every player and coach to push their hardest. 

“The effort was maximum,” Lindsey said. “There was a lot of hard work with hours and hours of preparation. The kids put everything into playing football and all the coaches work nights and weekends to do a great job.”

The final playoff game was 34-14 against Atascosita. The players and coaches felt on top of the world as half of the school’s students, staff and parents went to NRG stadium to support the players. 

It’s the most fun part of the job to play in the big games in the playoffs,” Lindsey said. “We were packed at Delmar for the first two games and then we packed NRG. It’s great to see large crowds there and the support from the parents, the community and the students.”

All of the team’s hard work showed during all of the playoff games. They pushed their hardest, played their best and made history. 

“I had confidence in my teammates, I knew we could go far,” Baber said. “I knew as long as we stayed together and continued to believe in each other we would go far.”

The playoff games were a whirlwind of emotions for everyone involved. The team made it as far as they could and went into the games with everything they had. It’s a very bittersweet moment for everyone, with an amazing season and losing the senior players. Every member made tons of plays and memories to last them a lifetime.

“I’m most proud of how everyone put their all on the field,” Baber said. “Even in the hardest moments we stayed together. I have no regrets.”