<rleton football is off to a promising start for the 2018 season. The team faced a series of challenges and changes last year, which included a defeated season and the resignation of Head Coach Bob Pagel this past February. For this year’s home opener, the Knights faced off against Lawrence University. After a hard fought and well executed performance, the Knights ended their 16-game losing streak and defeated the Vikings 44-23. The team overcame the disappointments of the past, displaying a new collective energy and competitiveness that they hope to carry throughout this season.
The Knights displayed an excellent team effort, as well as many strong individual performances. Mack Journell, a wide receiver, set career highs against Lawrence, including 14 receptions for 149 yards and three touchdowns. “The game-plan that we had prepared us for what was coming. Offensively, we were successful running pretty much any play we wanted, which is always a nice feeling to have,” Journell said. The team is optimistic about having a more successful season, but Journell cautioned that the group must focus on taking it one game at a time. Journell said, “It’s great that we beat Lawrence, but now we play St. Olaf this week and it’s time for the Goat Trophy to be on Carleton’s campus … as a group we have already grown a lot, so in terms of end of season goals, I hope to be playing together as well as we can. By game ten hopefully all phases of the team will come together, and if that happens, the rest of the season will be rewarding.”
After a series of disappointing seasons, former Head Coach Bob Pagel announced his official resignation last February to pursue other opportunities. On April 23, 2018 Carleton officially named Tom Journell as the new head football coach, making him the 18th head coach in the history of the Knights football program. Journell brings 31 years of coaching experience to the program and is very hopeful that the team will have increased success this season.
“Our philosophy is simple: #KeepStackin,” Coach Journell said. “We stack successes every day and in everything we do. It’s about process. The process of reflection and continual improvement. We ‘stack’ by having redwood-like root systems in our program’s foundation and by our approach of having a great attitude and hard work. The process is controllable. We can control our attitude and how hard we work and the decision to respect, communicate and cooperate with each other.”
Coach Journell was impressed with the team’s hard effort in preseason, which contributed to the strong performance against Lawrence. “We executed at a high level over the course of 60 minutes. We were faced with adversity throughout the game however, we demonstrated great resolve and stuck to what we do and for what we stand. There were some great individual performances, in the context of a collective effort,” Coach Journell said. The team’s talented first-years have also been stepping up to make a positive impact. “Our first-year students are contributing considerably. I believe this is attractive to recruits since our team has a smaller number than most. We expect our first-year students to be major contributors and make our program better immediately. I believe this also contributes to morale, interdependence and builds team cohesion,” Coach Journell explained.
The Knights have a long season ahead, and this strong start will hopefully help shape the course for a successful season. Changes to the coaching staff and the addition of new and talented players has positively impacted the team dynamic. Coach Journell expressed that the team must “continue to grow and water the bamboo every day, while believing and focusing on the process.” By focusing on the elements they can control, the Knights football team has set themselves up for a fulfilling season.