Sophomore Sharmon Rester, one of the quarterbacks for the El Dorado Wildcats Varsity Football team, is excited about the new season.

The season had an emotional start, with the loss of Octavius “Tay” Critton, who was a cornerback for the El Dorado Wildcats. 

Rester said that the team has a long list of things to do to make this season a successful one. 

“It will take a lot of work for what has happened for the past few days,” Rester said in reference to the loss of his teammate.

“It will take a lot of work for the teams we have in our conference this year, and also a lot of courage,” he said.

The season won’t be an easy one, he explained. 

Rester said, “We have changed our play style from more of a read defense to a fast tempo. Conditioning wise, everyone still is working on moving fast and working on the fast calls.”

He said that his position as quarterback is an important one, and there’s plenty of work to be done. 

“The QBs are mostly in every single offensive drill there is. Every QB switches out every payscale to inside runs. We have up to three breaks, and once those breaks are over, we get back to work,” he said. 

“As a QB it takes a lot of encouragement to lead the team and a strong mindset to take on anything that happens negatively.” 

He said he’s confident the team could go far this season.

“The roster is looking amazing, and we are going to have a high chance of going to the state championship,” Rester said.

“The new coach [Steven Jones] is amazing and he has a way new perspective than [Scott Reed, former Wildcat Head Coach]. Everyday we’re working on bonding with each other, and not leaving anyone out. Coach Jones is one of us. Some practices him and the other coaches even play football with us. He is also a family man,” he said. 

Rester said it’s that team bonding that leads him to believe that every single player on the team will push toward making this year a great season.

“There’s no ‘I’ in team, because it’s all 11 that puts in work to win,” he said.