History has been made at Akins High School. For the first time ever, the Varsity football team has made the playoffs. In the twelve previous years of Akins existence, the football team has never made it to playoffs.

The Eagles finished the regular season 3-7, including two district wins against Del Valle and Austin High, which was enough to reach the playoffs.

“It means a lot to the whole senior class because this is something that has never been done before,” senior linebacker/cornerback Nick Vega said, who led the team with 21 solo tackles. “It feels good to make history and be the first class to make playoffs.”

Making the playoffs extends the season for the Eagles.

“It feels good to know we get to play another week,” senior defensive back Cedric Williams said. “It means a lot to be the first team to make playoffs.”

The team found positive outcomes on both sides of the ball, leading to their recent success. The quick offense allowed more opportunities for touchdowns and big plays.

“The coaches really made sure we were fit and ready to run our fast paced offense,” senior wide receiver Robert Walker said. “Our goal going into the game is to move the ball as fast as we possibly can.”

“Coach Frierson took it back down to basics and rebuilt our skills on the line,” senior left tackle Donovan Martinez said.

On the other side of the ball, the defense also found success with more intense workouts and practices.

“Our offseason workouts were really intense, we worked out a lot harder,” senior linebacker Fred Blackman said.

“We drilled everyday, the coaches taught us how to read offenses and fill the gaps,” junior middle linebacker Malik Smith, who led the team with 58 total tackles said.

“Coach griffin and coach Randolph showed us the basics like footwork, and it means a lot to winning,” Vega said.

“We’ve watched a lot of film and did a lot of drills, that made us better,” senior defensive back Cedric Williams said.

With triumph also come challenges, the players felt they could’ve been a closer team.

“We could’ve been closer as a team, because some of us can’t call other teammates friends,” Martinez said.

“I wish we worked together more in bad situations,” Williams said.

“We could have stayed together through losses, there was too many arguments, but we made it to playoffs,” Smith said.

“We needed to keep our composure during losses,” Vega said.

Although the Eagles had some minor issues, their head coach Humberto Garza thinks differently.

“We learned how to work as a team, they trusted each other, they believed in one another, they’re the best example of teamwork,” Garza said.

The Eagles have shown their improvement by winning games and achieving their ultimate goal of making the playoffs.

“It shows how much work we put in, it shows how hard we worked, we can compete with everyone,” Smith said.

“It’s amazing because we showed some improvement by winning games and making playoffs,” Martinez said.

School spirit has flourished throughout Akins due to the positive outcomes of the games. More families, fans, and students have been going to the stadiums to support the Eagles. The game gets heavily discussed through social networks such as Twitter and Instagram.

“When we played Austin High, our stands weren’t quiet and they were cheering us on all night,” Martinez said. “Win or lose, support our team.”

Unfortunately, the Eagles lost to Round Rock in the first round of the playoffs 67-21. They fought hard but couldn’t keep up with the fast-paced Round Rock Dragons.

“We played our hardest and gave it everything,” Walker said.

He said he was sad that season came to an end earlier than they hoped.

“I’ve met some great people and formed some amazing relationships with my teammates,” Walker said.

Even with the playoff loss, the Eagles succeeded at what they set out to do

“We earned it,” defensive back Alec Kappel said. “As a team we deserve to have made it to playoffs because we’ve gone through so much.”