This season, the Brentwood Christian School football team battled through injuries and obstacles, ending the season with a 4-6 record. With double-digit seniors in the program this year, the door closed to a sport and hobby that many have played since elementary school as the season concluded on Nov. 7 against Brook Hill.

But for most, it was the relationships that will carry the most weight moving forward.

“My favorite part about football was bonding with my teammates,” said senior Gabe Washington.

One of the highlights of the season was a victory over district rival Bishop Dunne on Oct. 23, where the Bears pulled off a 41-6 victory. Senior quarterback Brayden Jennings had three touchdowns,

Washington had one, and senior running back Esteban Gutierrez had two. Gutierrez and Washington both made interceptions on defense during the contest.

They carried that momentum into Homecoming the following week.

Against long-time rival Hyde Park, BCS took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter after Jennings hit senior Caleb Catron for a long touchdown. The Bears pulled ahead again late in the third, 24-21, on a Jennings to Washington dime, but Hyde Park pulled away late in a 35-30 win.

District play was tough overall for BCS, as the team had to find players to step up after injuries to senior Zach Czerlinsky, Jay Marwill and Thomas Calder, among others.

“The challenges and struggles they had to overcome, from injuries to bad calls on the field…our team worked hard and did not give up as the season went on,” said head coach Kyle Maxfield.

Brentwood was awarded 11 spots on the all-district team, including Washington (second team offense and defense), senior Luke Weed (second team offense, honorable mention defense), senior kicker/punter Liam McGaughy (honorable mention) and Jennings (second team).

The team will lose one of the largest senior classes in recent memory at BCS, and will look to juniors Sam Moore, AJ Koncaba, and Levi Baron, among others, to fill the void.

Not unlike the battle with injuries this year, Maxfield will look to his underclassmen to be ready to hit the field next season and compete.

“Our biggest challenge this season was injuries, but the way the team responded to this was good,” Maxfield said. “I would say, ‘next man up’ and they responded well and stepped up.”