Berkley Football Aims To Reach Groundbreaking Heights

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The team celebrating being the number one seat going into playoffs.

As of late, Berkley High School’s varsity football team has been riding a wave of victory that does not seem to be going down anytime soon. The team’s current record is 6-1, close to being entirely undefeated.  

According to Junior Nolan Wesner, one of Berkley’s starting tight ends, this is largely due to hard work and focus. “Mistakes and a lack of focus is what brought us down that first game,” Wesner explains. “We have most definitely corrected those mistakes and the focus is there which is why we have been victorious these past games.” 

However with all of these victories in mind many wonder how far will this year’s varsity football team go?

Brandon Peacher, a senior and one of the team’s running backs, sheds some light on this question that many people local and beyond want to know. 

“It took a lot of hard work and determination to get to where we are today,” Peacher explains. However, to go where we want to go, whether it’s winning the League or going far into the playoffs, all of it will require twice as much effort and twice the amount of focus that has led us to a 6-1 record.” 

To further explain what this means for Berkley and the potential titles this year’s team is capable of achieving, I turned to head coach, Sean Shields, to clarify. According to Shields, Berkley has not won the league title since 1996. 

“There is a lot of historical significance when you look at what a league title would mean for Berkley football, and the whole athletic program as a whole,” Coach Shields explains. However, when asked what he thought would be crucial to fulfilling these goals, he said focus is “ultimately the key to winning every future challenge.” 

Due to the loss against Bloomfield Hills High School, BHS would need them to lose in order for Berkley to have a shot at the OAA Blue title as well. 

“The success of this season is due to this group’s hard work both now but also in the preseason,” Coach Shields says. Furthermore, Shields is confident that as long as the team keeps up the hard work, he has no doubt they will end up in Ford Field playing in the state championships.

The end message is loud and clear that Berkley football has a chance to do something that has not been done in a really long time. To echo the words of some of its players, at the end of the day it will come down to the teams focus and dermintination to show the state of Michigan that Berkley football refuses to be defeated both on and off the field.