The Spartans varsity football team traveled to Timberland last Friday with momentum from a 34-0 win over North. Any confidence carrying over from that game was met with a resounding thud. The Spartans lost 36-23.

“We simply played a better team. North was downright shitty,” said senior captain Jeff Desir. The talent was not the only factor that contributed to the loss. According to Desir, the team was playing against a foreign offense.

“We had to learn a whole new defense,” Desir said. Timberland ran a double tight triple option with one foot splits across the line. The formation left the Central defense confuzzled.

“If they got through our front seven, they scored,” Desir said. To Desir, that was not an excuse for the loss. “We didn’t rise to the occasion Friday.”

The odds are stacked against the Spartans in their next game at Fort Zumwalt West, evident by the difference in records between the teams. West is 3-3 with two losses coming to metro-area top 10 teams. The Spartans will go into the game at 1-5 with the only victory coming over the winless Francis Howell North Knights.

“We don’t get caught up in all that stuff. They are a beatable team. We have to treat them like any other team. If we execute and run the plays right, we can win,” Desir said.