After starting 0-4, the Hornet varsity football team won Friday, Sept. 23 with a shutout victory against Ruskin 19-0.

“Our team has more confidence now; it is a weight off of our shoulders,” junior quarterback Patrick Hoard said.

Hoard contributed to all three of the Hornets’ touchdowns. Two were passing touchdowns: one to junior Roy Clayter, the other to junior Marcus Jones. On top of that, he even rushed for a one-yard touchdown.

“Scoring three touchdowns feels good, but it feels better to get the win. It wasn’t just me; it was the receivers and the offensive line,” Hoard said.

At the very end of the game, however, a player was injured. Varsity player Jason Mulvaney, a junior, fell down on the field with a concussion.

“I felt something bad was going to happen, but I didn’t know when it was going to happen. I had a severe headache, I was really sweaty, and when I got hit, the pain increased,” Mulvaney said.

Players were worried about him and wondered if he’d be alright.

“When he went down, all of us went down,” Hoard said.

Mulvaney was moved when he knew that the team was concerned about him.

“When I found out the whole team was there for me, it touched my heart,” Mulvaney said.

“The outcome of the game didn’t matter; our focus was on Jason at that point,” head coach Leon Douglas said.

The team is now 2-6, having lost to Park Hill on Sept. 30 with a score of 42-14, losing to Truman on Oct. 7 51-14, and beating Park Hill South on Oct. 14, 20-17.

They are currently 1-0 in district play.

“We need to continue being committed, stay committed and stay focused. We can’t let the record get to us. We need to take care of things that we can control and finishing strong,” Douglas said.

The football team has one more game left on Oct. 28 against Winnetonka. Even though the Hornets are the away team, it is being played at the Northtown stadium.