By Eric Poe/sports editor
Teams playing in the District Cup are putting the final touches on practices, roster decisions and playbooks.
TR’s representative team, The Wolfpack, is no exception.
The Wolfpack have practiced two times a week in the three weeks leading up to the Cup, hoping to make up for lost time.
Wolfpack coach Nick Giovanetti said not all the practices were just playing football.
“We’ve had a couple practices where I run ‘em through conditioning and agility drills,” he said. “I’m just trying to get ‘em in shape a bit.”
Giovanetti said he had to alter his practices once he discovered the District Cup would be five-on-five, not eight-on-eight as he previously thought.
“We had practiced for eight a couple times,” he said. “But finding out we play with five was tough. We can only have a roster of seven, so I’m gonna have some tough decisions to make.”
The Wolfpack already have a solid core in place, retaining many of the same members from last year’s District Cup runners-up.
“We mostly have our key guys back,” Wolfpack receiver Diego Hernandez said. “And we play like a team, so we’re good.”
He said they really want to win it this year.
“Last year, we got robbed by a bad call by the refs,” Hernandez said. “So we said, ‘Wait till next year.’ We were pretty good our first year, so, hopefully, we will be better.”
He outlined his team’s reasons for why it is successful.
“We have speed. Not much size. No one is selfish, and we all want revenge on SE,” he said.
SE’s AK won last year’s championship over The Wolfpack, winning 27-24.
The Nov. 10 practice started with passing drills led by starting quarterback Weston Foster and backup Nick Escobar.
Both quarterbacks zipped the ball competently to receivers, but Giovanetti confirmed who his No. 1 was.
“Weston will be our starter,” he said.
Escobar is a solid second option with his confidence and vocal nature being a strongpoint.
“Don’t stop running, man,” he shouted to his receiver after an incompletion. “I’m gonna be putting ‘em in your hands all day.”
It’s that type of confidence The Wolfpack will need if they want to capture the District Cup title that eluded them just a year ago.
