The oft-maligned Coach Marmalade and the Cinni Prep Catfish clinched their first postseason birth in 7 years after a comfortable homecoming win over Prairie Plains. The Catfish are 6-2 with 1 game remaining against the undefeated conference champion Lumbus High.

“We’re not done yet. Lumbus comes here next week and we’re gonna give them everything we’ve got,” said Junior quarterback and team captain, Brucie Murphy. “We got a lot of winning left to do,” he said triumphantly from atop his teammates shoulders.

After public outcries for his dismissal over the past several years, Coach Marmalade took a more reflective stance, “It’s been a heck of a season and I’m so proud of this graduating class getting the Catfish back into the playoffs. These men are putting in the work inside and outside of the classroom. When that happens, it contributes to a magical season, like this one. This group of Seniors created a culture dedicated to winning. This team is set to finish the regular season with the highest GPA of any athletic team in the history of Cinni Prep. It’s a remarkable achievement,” said Coach Marmalade.

Fans rushed the field after the 28-16 victory over Prairie Plains to celebrate the win with the faculty and players. Moments like these used to be an annual tradition during the 80’s and 90’s at Cinni Prep. Fans can once again take pride in their team on the field. Off the field, the Catfish have been winning consistently scoring a higher team GPA than team wins most years. However, academic accolades don’t funnel in alumni donations like a memorable winning football season.

“Well, it’s part of this ecosystem in Cinniapolis. My main focus has and always will be to prepare our players for life after football. Most students football days are over after high school, and even more are done after college. Here, we emphasize excellence in the classroom first, then excellence on the field. When we marry the two together, we get special seasons like this year,” said Coach Marmalade.

Brucie Murphy echoed his coach’s message, “We’re resetting the standard. The graduating classes before us laid the foundation for Coach’s plan to focus on our studies while also being competitive football players. Now, it’s evolved to success on the field too. We strive to be the most disciplined team on the field each game. A big part of that is staying disciplined in the classroom. That excitement we show on the field is the same level of excitement we bring to the classroom on a daily basis,” he said.

Playoff seeding will be determined after this week’s final regular season games. However, if the season ended tonight, the Catfish would host the first playoff game at Cinni Prep in 12 years. Stay tuned to the Chorus for all your Catfish playoff coverage.