This year, there was something extra special about Shorewood football.

Winning seven out of 10 games in the 2025 season, this is the best they have done in 50 years, making it to the first round of playoffs. But why is this?

“We have a good group of guys and a good group of coaches,” said senior Logan Jovich. Jovich also explained that the coaching they have had this year has been some of the best they’ve seen in a while, whether it be because of their spirit or their pep talks.

“Coach June is very passionate about his work,” said senior Jeshua Macias. Senior Frank Burn mentioned another one of their coaches- Coach Petschl, who Burn said always believes in him. “He just inspires me before every game,” said Burn.

Their planning also contributes a lot to the success of the players throughout a typical week of practices. “To be able to walk in on Monday and already have your whole game plan set out for you for the week is pretty impressive and leads to a great week,” said senior Cole Petschl.

But the team’s achievements can’t solely be credited to a certain few coaches. It’s also about the bond between players. “We have team camp and captain’s practices,” says Burn. They hold events outside of football to strengthen their bond. “We have a lineman lunch on Fridays just to bond with each other and talk about the game,” said Jovich. The seniors feel that they’ve made a great impact. “We’ve left a good impression on the football team and left our mark. But we all feel that we’re not ready to be done yet,” said Petschl.

However, this isn’t to say that there have been no challenges. “There are definitely more people getting hurt… We had our starting quarterback Kyson Vanee, he got hurt in the third game and was out for a week, so we had to play with a new quarterback,” said Jovich.

Putting that all together makes such an amazing team, but a team isn’t complete without the players. “I definitely think it’s because of the work, players have been putting in on their own time, not just the workouts with the team, but also the guys have been hitting the fields by themselves or sometimes together,” said Macias. “We’re all close and good friends and [it’s like] you’re like playing for your brother and that inspires you to play a lot harder,” said Burn. For these guys, they have put the work in for this team and it’s paying off. “Built not bought” Macias says.

“Winning is a big deal, but I think what we preach on is that it’s not always about the wins, it’s what you build and how you build as a person, not just a player,” said Petschl.