At the beginning of school, the leaves start to change and Portland prepares for the rain. But in those gray skies, there’s a bright spot: “Friday Night Lights” has arrived, bringing with it a storm of red jerseys and school spirit.
Cardinal football has started off strong with a four-game preseason winning streak, the best since 2015.
In his third year as head coach, Cody Schnaufer has noticed positive differences in this year’s team.
“A big area is execution. It’s year two in our offense and year three in our defense. We’ve gotten more repetitions doing it and are more comfortable,” said Schnaufer.
One adjustment from the 2024 season is Schnaufer’s preparation for his players, including a focus on mastering the single-wing offense, “a direct-snap offense with no true quarterback, an unbalanced line with two tight ends as well as a wingback on the strong side,” according to Bleacher Report.
“We spent a lot of time meeting with experts from around the country. [The coaches] met with a coach from Florida who has won a couple of state titles, running the same offense,” said Schnaufer. “He’s kind of the godfather of the single wing.”
Schnaufer said the support of the community, on and off the field, has also helped the team, as has the team’s focus on developing leaders.
“I tell other people all the time that I’ve never seen a more supportive faculty and staff at a school than I have here at Lincoln,” said Schnaufer. “We’re also much more intentional this year about having leadership lessons, leadership opportunities, so they can continue to grow as leaders.”
Senior and captain Zan Galton says his responsibility has shown him a new perspective on the field.
“The way our seniors and juniors have led has been much more positive,” said Galton. “In general, the way we treat each other on the team is much better than in past years.”
This season, Galton and the team are playing as a unit, and it’s showing.
“I think we used to shut down and sort of give up. I think that’s because we had an emphasis on the individual,” said Galton. “Whereas now, when we face adversity, we face it as a team.”
Along with the football team coming together, so have the fans. Attendance at games has skyrocketed, and while for Galton, the fans aren’t the focus, they are appreciated.
“A thousand fans or zero fans, I’m there for the guy next to me. And the guy next to me is there for me. So, as long as we’re there for each other, we don’t really think about how many fans there are,” said Galton. “It’s great that there are more fans. We love it.”
Senior and ASB executive flock leader, Lulu Lehmann, has noticed a difference in school spirit as well.
“The whole student section was filled, and it got to the point where we had to overflow into the other side of the bleachers,” said Lehmann. “This football season has been going so good. It’s kind of making more people actually want to show up.”