The Division One High School football season is underway, and North faced their third game of the season on August 31st against Fond du Lac. North starting off strong with Patrick Watson running nine yards for a touchdown in the first five minutes followed by a field goal point by Quinn Henwood. The first touchdown ended up being the only touchdown for Appleton North, the game ending with Appleton North at seven points and Fond du Lac with thirty. The team was hoping to rebound from the 22-19 loss against Neenah the preceding Friday, August 24. North had been gearing up for a promising season with quarterback Carter Robinson, who was named best in the division by the Post Crescent. The team was looked at by many in the division as a strong team, possessing a wealth of coaching staff and a large student base.

Before the game began, the coaches had a lot to say. Rob Salm, the head coach, said his favorite thing about coaching was “ seeing kids do things they didn’t realize they could do.” Curt Salm, an assistant coach, made sure to point out that whether a win or loss, his favorite part about coaching was the relationships he creates with the players not only during the season but after. “ It’s not just the season, but it lives forever with the kids you develop relationships with,” he said. Coach C. Salm said that the most positive aspect about Appleton North’s team was the team’s tightly wound, family-like structure. “ If you don’t have their trust you don’t have anything,” he said.

They faced a good team with the momentum from their historic win against Kimberly. This Friday against Fond du Lac, after a promising start, things started to go south for North. We asked Devin Blom, North’s defensive back, what went wrong during the game. “Too many breakdowns, not everyone did their job,” he responded.  “Open field tackling is something we will focus on,” Blom said regarding next week’s game against Stevens Point.

Ian Laatsch, North’s running back, pointed out some other areas the team could work on. “Our linemen weren’t hitting their targets,” he said. Ian followed up by saying “ We were the better team, the scoreboard didn’t show that but I know we were”.

Though the game ended with a loss for North, the student section was cheering all night. Haidyn Torbenson, a leading senior of the section, said, “It feels good when everyone is excited and happy, everyone looking up to us, cheering the team on. Win or lose we have their back, those are our friends out there on the field.” Hardcore North football fan Zach (Vinne) Dunn said, “ I haven’t missed a game since freshman year. Every football game I get so excited; I get rowdy.”

Appleton North may have ended up with a loss on the field, but with the passion of the student section, the love of the families, the devoted coaches, and the heart of Appleton behind them, the players will accept the loss and only grow stronger from it.