O’Connor’s Panthers football team set to face rival Brandeis in Week 1

The excitement of starting a brand new football season is evident in high schools across the country, but when you’re playing your rival to start the season, there’s a different feeling behind the preparation for the game.

O’Connor’s Panthers know exactly what that means as they prepare to open the season against rival Brandeis on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. at Ferris Stadium.

While the motivation behind starting the season strong is also coupled with the determination to be better than last year’s 3-7 record, the Panthers told us how special it was to play against a fierce rival in Week 1.

“It’s really special, you know, coming from last year, the year before, coming from this year playing with these guys since middle school, you know, it’s pretty personal,” senior defensive lineman Erik Castillo said.

“I mean, after playing in the Alamodome the last two years, you feel the atmosphere, you feel all the fans watching you, the lights, it’s awesome to be able to go play in front of thousands of people,” senior tight end Zachary Godby said.

“You know on top of a whole new football season, it adds even more excitement and enthusiasm to being here at 6:45 in the morning practicing and getting ready, and it’s not going to be hard to get our kids motivated to play that first game,” said O’Connor head coach David Malesky.

Read more coverage and watch highlights and full matches on the Big Game Cover Page.