The varsity football team is working toward a winning season after a 5-6 season last year. Some members of the team are working to achieve even more.
“It wasn’t just something that happened overnight; it took me a lot of hard work throughout the off-season: going to training sessions and putting in hours in the gym or at the field while the rest of my teammates and friends would be out having fun,” sophomore quarterback Sahir Mantri said.
Mantri’s stats include 583 yards passing and four touchdown passes, compared to the number one leading quarterback in Virginia, Jordan Dennis from South County. Dennis has 1690 passing yards.
“My personal goal for this season is to be an all-district quarterback and prove everyone who believed in me right,” Mantri said. “Throughout my career, I hope to be an all-state or at least an all-region quarterback and eventually play football in college.”
Mantri’s averaging 14.4 yards per game.In addition to passing yards, Mantri is not afraid to run the ball, with 130 rushing yards.
“Quarterback is one of the hardest positions to play and Sahir has shown he is the best man for the job, exceeding expectations and showing that even though he’s a sophomore he can play and succeed at a high level through hard work and effort,” senior running back Avery Chow said.
In the last two years, 2022 and 2021, the team’s record has been 5-6, and they are currently sixth place in District 1. James Madison is first, South Lakes second, Centreville third, Westfield fourth, and Oakton High School is one spot above Chantilly at fifth.
“I feel great about this season because it’s our senior year and it’s our last year to get to play with each other and our last year to show off our hard work and win big games,” Chow said.
The team started 2-0, but as of Oct. 19, they are 3-4. The first two teams that Chantilly beat were Falls Church and Woodson High School. Chantilly lost to James Madison High School, South Lakes, McLean, and Herndon.
“I believe we’re off to a solid start but still have much to prove for the upcoming district games,” Wilson said. “A realistic expectation for this season would be 6-4.”
The team would have to win against Centerville High School, Westfield High School, and Oakton High School to reach their goal. Chantilly goes against Westfield High School on October 27, which is an away game. Chantilly versus Oakton on November 3.
“A lot of our starters last year who were seniors graduated, so we don’t have a lot of experience. Mantri said. “We have a pretty young team with most of our starts on offense and defense being juniors so, as they got a feel for varsity just like I did, we started to succeed. As we get into the season, we’re running smoothly and at full speed and I hope to make the playoffs this year.”
Chantilly has a new game plan this year. The main plan is to increase the running game, wear down the opposing team’s defense, and incorporate other game concepts, such as passing the ball, faking a play, etc.
“Some of my goals for this season are to finish as the number one running back in the state for rushing yards, and to be an all-district, all-region, and all-state running back,” Chow said.
Chow is first in District 1 for rushing yards and 13th place in Virginia. He currently has 987 yards rushing, compared to the number one student in the state for rushing, Camron Goodspeed from Patrick Henry High School, who has 1211 rushing yards.
“We strive to get better each day, each week; we hope to be better than we were previously,” head football coach Sean Curry said. “If we can make steady improvements on a daily and weekly basis, we are going to be in good shape not just for the 2023 season but also for future seasons.”
Their next home game is against Centreville High School on Oct. 20. Centreville is currently 2-5 in this season, compared to Chantilly, 3-4.
