WACO, Texas — The Midway Panthers game week is here as they hold final practices before opening kickoff.
"I'm ready. I've been waiting for a long time. We're all in this together, we're a family. We really have to be here for each other. That's our foundation," linebacker Kannon Clendenin said.
"The work we've put in in the off season is really starting to show," kicker James Satterfield said. "The culture has completely changed. The vibe feels different going in the season. I'm expecting a win this week."
In the 2022 season, the Panthers finished 2-8 overall and were 2-4 in district play. Now during the off season, head coach Shane Anderson spoke on the four core values he taught his players.
Integrity and accountability are the first two mentioned.
"The first one is integrity. Everything we do, we want to do with integrity on and off the field. Accountability. I think that's part of being a young man, especially this day and age, is being accountable for your actions and understanding that everything you do has a consequence, good and bad," Anderson said.
Dedication and confidence are the next key players.
"Dedication. If you say you're gonna do something, you got to stick it through. There's no walking away from something and that goes to real life as a dad, as a husband, and as an employee. Then the last thing is confidence. We talk about confidence being built from time on task. If you show up every day and you work hard, you're going to have confidence and you're going to be successful," Anderson said.
Before the opening kick, the players have seen the team grow and expectations have been set for the season.
"I just want everyone to come out here every day and have fun and just work hard," Clendenin said. "I just want to have a good year. Hopefully make playoffs."
"When I first got here, I was a sophomore on varsity and my guys were on JV. We've all grown together just playing football and all grown to be great friends. There's no one left out and it's a great atmosphere," Satterfield said.
The Panthers season begins on the road against Mansfield Tigers on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.
