The boys’ varsity football team won their first home game of the season with a score of 29-16 on Aug. 30 against Santa Paula High School and have continued their success to earn them a record of 4-0.

Junior and offensive and defensive linemen Isaac Saban commented on his mentality going into the first game of the season.

“My mentality going into the game was just trying to keep it calm, focus on what my objective was — to leave that field with a win,” Saban wrote to the Talon.

According to MaxPreps,the OPHS boys’ varsity football team stands 4-0 in the Coastal Canyon League. The team moved up into division 12 for this season. Varsity head coach Casey Webb described the challenges of playing in a higher division.

“We’re in a new division and we are really excited [about] where we’re at. With this group, if things come together, we are going to be a good team,” Webb said. “[We are] playing schools that are bigger than us … I think we do a great job with everything that we have and our players do a great job and are committed as can be. I think it’s really [paying] off right now.”

Despite these challenges, junior and wide receiver Alex Jones has an optimistic view towards the rest of the season.

“In this new division there are a lot of teams, which makes it harder to make playoffs, but it’s definitely achievable for us,” Jones wrote. “I feel positive [that] we have a good team this year and all the guys are excited to see what we can do.”

Senior Gianni Smith has been playing football since freshman year and now plays as kicker, punter, and quarterback.

“We worked hard the last few years and pushed ourselves to get into a better division,” Smith wrote. “This division has better competition and teams overall so it forces us to really play together as a unit.”

Coach Webb commented on his expectations for the team throughout the rest of the season and how their newfound success will benefit the student body in regards to upping school spirit.

“[I’m looking forward to] more winning, more excitement,” Webb said. “I think the winning brings a great atmosphere on campus and I think we are going to continue to see bigger crowds.”