The Traverse City West Varsity Football Team has faced a very challenging schedule this year, because they have had to play many strong teams. However, throughout the season, the team has kept the right mindset and attitude to compete and win.

  “On paper, this is definitely the hardest schedule that West has had in school history. It’s good for us to play up in competition to be able to prepare ourselves for our conference, which is really tough,” head coach James Wagner said.

  The Titans have definitely gone up against some very competitive teams early in the season. The season opener was against Howell, which was ranked No. 1 in the state of Michigan last year. In Week 4, the Titans took on Grand Blanc, ranked No. 7 in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press. The Titans also compete in the Saginaw Valley League, one of the most competitive conferences in the state, which means they face difficult teams throughout the entire season.

  “I would say that no matter what’s in front of you, you just always have to keep working. It’s more about the process than the results,” senior captain Drew Esper said.

  This season has been particularly challenging for many reasons, one of them being the loss of many impactful players from last year’s class. This has left the Titans with a smaller senior group and required them to pull up players from younger grades. They have also faced a difficult travel schedule, with games in towns like Bay City, Grand Blanc and Mt. Pleasant.

  “I think it’s exciting. It’s always great when you’ve got a tough schedule. You never know what game you’re going to win or lose, so you’ve got to stay on your toes and be locked in,” senior captain Jackson Gallagher said.