South Beloit Sobos slip in season finale

By Chris Johnson

Reporter

SOUTH BELOIT – Even though the 2015 football season at South Beloit High School didn’t turn out as well as many sports fans would have liked, as the Sobos fell in their season finale, 56-0 to Freeport Aquin, there still appears to be hope as the Sobos prepare to embark on new adventures.

With the loss, South Beloit closed the NUIC with a 0-9 record.

There was a lot of learning in South Beloit this year. A new coach took over and a new philosophy took root, there is a lot of hope for the future for the Sobos, according to Head Coach Jason Ware.

“The biggest thing, takeaway wise from the season, is how my kids have grown into fine men. After we lost to Aquin, my seniors and juniors spent time talking with the underclassmen.

“A lot of the players thanked us, the coaching staff, the school and the community for helping them become better people, better men. As the kids are relearning the game, it’s not about wins and losses, it’s about trying.”

The Sobos loss marked the seventh time this season opposition has scored 50 points or more.

The run was something South Beloit just couldn’t stop. It killed them, according to Ware.

“We struggled all season trying to stop the run, it’s an area we have to improve. We have the desire to get better. The kids just aren’t physically or mentally strong enough yet. But they still put forth a great effort every night they go out on the field.”

Not being able to generate a lot of offense also plagued the Sobos, as they could only muster 70 points this season, less than eight points a game.

Learning the game isn’t something, Ware said, the players need to do. It’s more about relearning to love the game. For a while learning is impeded when change affects a program, as has been the case in South Beloit.

As the players mature and develop more skills, Ware said, then it can come down to trying to understand a certain style of play, focusing on the strengths that each individual has. Attempting to win as a team, by claiming the little victories in head-to-head battles.

“For us, it comes down to execution, we had opportunities to win games this year, but it came down to how we played. At times we made a lot of mistakes. I played a lot of freshmen, who just weren’t ready physically or mentally. I think football teaches a lot of life lessons. There is one, “It isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”, that I think touches us most. The players here have a lot of heart, we just can’t physically match up with a lot of the other teams yet. I know a lot of the guys are going to go out and improve themselves in the off-season.”

With the regular season over, equipment collection begins with the South Beloit Sobos Fall Sports and Football Banquets to be scheduled over the next few weeks.

The winter sports schedule begins the week before Thanksgiving, as the South Beloit Lady Sobos prepare to take the court for the first time this season.