After losing 43-14 against Crystal Lake South on Friday, the football team ended the year with a frustrating record.

“We started out very well. We were neck and neck going into the second half and then we made some critical errors that put us behind. We weren’t able to catch up as the game went on and our guys got a little worn down. It was evident in the score,” head coach Ted Monken said.

This was the first year that West Chicago went up against Crystal Lake South.

“They have a program of good tradition. They are not as strong as they have been in the past this year. Their coach has been a coach for a long time so they are always going to be a tough challenge,” Monken said.

Team member junior CJ Griffin said Crystal Lake South had its moments, but did struggle.

“The team did good but they fell apart in the second half. We battled hard,” Griffin said.

The team ended the season with a record of 1-8.

“It was a frustrating year. We had some opportunities that we were not able to take advantage of. Overall, the guys who were out there worked hard and gave everything they could and gave tremendous effort every week,” Monken said.

Monken looked back at his three years as head varsity coach and noted how the record for this season wasn’t the best.

“The first year we won three games and had a nice amount of success. We had an opportunity to make the playoffs down the stretch. Last year was tough and this year it was tough because the record wasn’t quite as good,” Monken said.

One area of struggle the team is facing is being stronger against their opponents.

“This year a lot of time we were physically unmatched. The teams were stronger and it was evident that the other team made the commitment to the weight room. For our players to compete with those guys they have to get in the weightroom and commit themselves to a full year-round workout regiment,” Monken said.

To help solve the problem, the boys will continue to work in the weightroom to get stronger for the next season.

“I’m planning on doing offseason workouts and getting ready for next season trying to get everyone ready,” sophomore Jeremy Grant said.