Head Coach Benny Marmalade summed up this season succinctly, “When we were good, we were great. When we were bad, we were awful,” he said. Leave it to classic, non-specific coachspeak to put a stamp on another promising yet ultimately disappointing season for the Catfish. The team missed out on the postseason for the sixth straight season and local supporters are starting to loudly question whether Marmalade is the right man for the job going forward.

One such supporter was willing to go on the record. Local superfan and self-appointed voice of the fans, Karen Jefferson said, “We think it’s time for a new coach. Coach Marmalade is a nice man and his athletes consistently graduate with honors. But, we need to start winning on the field too. We’re the laughingstock of the county because our team fails every year. It’s time for change.”

Coach Marmalade reminded everyone that wins are nice, but the players are students first, amplified by his choice to sit star wide receiver Barry Linsington for the final three games for missing his team-appointed academic goals. The Catfish suffered three losses in those games causing the them to miss the postseason tournament again. “It’s important for the players to understand that their priority is their education in the classroom. They can do far better things with a complete education than they can with a football victory,” said Coach Marmalade. “Gerard is a great example for our team. He has used his education to organize community events raising money for various charities. The kid is more of a community leader than most adults around here,” he said.

As this season sadly ended Gerard Gonzalez’s injury-plagued high school football career, he sees victories in the Catfish team’s future, “It’s a good group of guys returning the next couple years. We were pretty young this year, lots of underclassmen performed very well. If they keep improving and getting stronger, they’ll be in the postseason next year, for sure,” said Gonzalez.

The breakout star of the team was Brucie Murphy. The Freshman quarterback joined the varsity team in week 3 and was thrown into action after a season-ending injury to Gonzalez. Murphy had some predictable growing pains as he accustomed himself to the speed and size of Varsity football. However, Week 6 showed the potential of his arm and legs when he led Cinni Prep to a Homecoming victory over Lumbus High, a favorite to win the state championship. Murphy threw for 248 yards and rushed for another 115 yards, accounting for 3 total touchdowns. However, his top wide receiver and favorite target, Linsington, would not see any playing time in the next three games. Murphy and the offense struggled in each of those games, clearly missing their best playmaker.

It was just 4 years ago when another Freshman quarterback gave hope to Catfish football fans. Unfortunately, Gonzalez’s high school football career ended with more injuries than postseason appearances. With Coach Marmalade on the hot seat, it’ll be up to Murphy and the team to produce a postseason appearance soon or the fans patience may run out.