The Hawklets’ football team concluded the regular season with a record of 8-1. This earned them the second seed in their district, a home playoff game, and a bye week to begin the playoffs. However, the Hawklets already had a bye-week during what should have been their last regular season week due to their Week 9 opponent, the Oklahoma City Patriots, forfeiting. This scenario presented the Hawklets with a rarity: two Friday nights without a game.
Head coach Kelly Donohoe worked to use the time productively.
“We want to use these weeks to really get a good grasp of our game plan, but at the same time to make sure everyone is fresh going into the next game.”
Donohoe says that he cannot remember another time in his coaching career when he had consecutive bye weeks.
Practices during the bye weeks were slightly shorter in order to not put any additional stress on players’ bodies. Junior lineman Jack Manning believes the bye weeks are still crucial for improvement.
“We have to make sure we are not getting behind,” Manning said. “It’s going to be important to take advantage of these weeks and make sure we’re healthy, but we still have to work hard in practice to stay in shape.”
Senior defensive back Ben Stringer is trying to maintain a positive attitude towards the situation.
“It’s definitely hard to go a couple weeks without a game,” Stringer said. “I just think it’s going to make us play harder once we get back on the field again.”
The Hawklets will take on Lee’s Summit West in the second round of the district playoffs on Friday. West, like Rockhurst, is coming off an off-week of their own, but, unlike the Hawklets, it was just single bye. The Titans last played Oct. 20, a game they lost to Liberty North 43-12. They come into the matchup with a 7-2 record and are the third seed in the district.
