Sequoyah Gryphons Fight Through in their past Football Season
The Sequoyah Flag Football team’s first season in their new league was a strong showing. The Gryphons continued to demonstrate that they can keep up with any opponent and persevere through hardship.
Although they had high hopes, they knew that fighting their way through this new league was not going to be easy. Team Captain Bruno Gutierrez ’26 reflected on their early season performance: “We played two of the best teams in the league. We beat one of them, and had a really close game with the other. I think there's room for growth, but the trajectory throughout the season I think will be good.” The team had high standards and was ready to face off against any team that came their way. The players showed strong leadership, cohesiveness, and seemed to have high spirits for the rest of the season.
With three coaches for 22 players, everyone had ample opportunities to learn new skills and become better players. This improved the team’s morale as they grew together. “We have great coaches, great team, great chemistry,” said Atticus Affleck ’26. “We have come a long way since freshman year… Most importantly, you gotta have the heart. You can have a whole group of guys out there, but one guy who has the heart, he is holding them.”
“Our team is doing great,” said Coach Brian Knigin. “There is really good chemistry, strong leadership, and a lot more experience than last season. They are competing at a very high level.”
The Gryphons’ future also looks bright. “We have a lot of talented juniors, as well as a few sophomores in there, so I'm confident in their abilities to carry on the team after we're all gone. I think it's about developing depth right now,” Gutierrez said. “Overall, we're a pretty solid team.”
The team was always motivated and pumped before games. “I mean, the best teams, the players are already motivated,” said Coach Knigin. He added, “What I try to do before a game is reinforce what we're trying to accomplish, playing together as a team. Supporting one another, and having great sportsmanship.”
Supporting one another and keeping opponents on their toes was part of the team’s plan for success. “One of our strategies is to cheer as loud as we can [and] give everybody a lot of confidence wherever they are playing,” Keiran Kaloff ’29 noted.
The Sequoyah Flag Football team had a great season. Sadly they lost in the playoffs, but showed great leadership, determination, and massive growth. The Sequoyah community can't wait to see what they have in store for the upcoming season.