Story by Maxine Messineo
Staff Writer

Photo by Mac Shropshire
Photography Editor

The Tigers are scheduled to begin the first round of football playoffs on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. According to the Tigers’ head coach, Jeff Chi, the team starts preparation for the playoffs by studying their game film as well as the opponent’s game film on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the next Friday’s game to develop a game plan for both the offensive and defensive teams. The goal is to get the team to memorize, understand, and be able to execute the plan flawlessly. 

“In addition to [watching the film] … we’re trying to install things and build on the previous place, so that we’re not always stagnant, but there’s always a little ripple to it. So there’s a little bit of an element of surprise,” Chi said. 

The football coaches all play an important role in preparing the teams for the playoffs, as well as the most important position, according to Chi, the line of scrimmage. The team also relies heavily on the skill sets of the running backs, quarterbacks, and receivers. 

“Everyone’s important. That’s the message that we try to send to our kids. You’re on the field [and] your teammates are counting on you, so make sure you’re accountable for knowing what you’re doing, and make sure to your best ability,” Chi said. 

According to Chi, injuries happen throughout the season, and to try and prevent them, the team spends time conditioning in the weight room, so that when players do have minor issues, they are able to heal faster. 

“[The players are] really focused and working really hard to prepare themselves for [the game] and it’s gonna be an exciting game, [so] hopefully, we’ll come up with a win,” Chi said. “And injuries will happen, and we had some this year, but we have to be patient. That also gives the opportunity for the other guys to step up and showcase their ability, [showing how] this is a true team sport.”

Senior Captain Ryan Hamdan also emphasizes the importance of everyone on the team, not just the captains, and that if one player doesn’t do what they are supposed to, the entire team will lose. 

“It’s not like we each have our individual roles as captains. We all work together to make sure everyone stays in check, make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing because, realistically, we all rely on each other to do our jobs. And if one person on one play doesn’t do their job right, that’s gonna cause a chain reaction all the way down to the ball carrier, which could cost us a game sometimes,” Hamdan said. 

The coaches play a large role in motivating and preparing the players. They show the team what they need to work on, and they teach the team the importance of discipline. 

The coaches also show the team through game film what the opposing team’s defense line, linebackers, and reactions to different scenarios look like, so that the players know what to work on. 

“I feel like in a lot of the other sports [coaches] try to always show the good side of things. Our coaches do the complete opposite. They always show us the bad side of things. They show us reasons that we can lose,” Hamdan said. “They never tell us this [is] a guaranteed win because nothing’s ever guaranteed. So they make sure that we know we’re not better than anyone. It’s always a competition. And they always make sure that we stay disciplined.”

Before playoffs, players are expected to remain disciplined outside of practice. If a player does something that gets them injured off the field, it could throw the whole team off balance, especially if that player is a starter or a key player. Hamdan mentioned that players on the team have a tendency to get sick or injured. During last year’s playoffs, the team had around 10 sick players, according to Hamdan. He also says that a challenge the team tends to face is cockiness. 

“Sometimes we get a little cocky and we’re like, ‘oh, this team’s not that good. We don’t need to prepare that hard.’ Some of us don’t take practice seriously. You practice how you play, and if we’re not practicing at the level that we’re going to be playing in a game, that’s going to be terrible for us,” Hamdan said. 

Both Hamdan and Chi expressed how big a deal the upcoming game is, and Hamdan believes that the team has a high chance of going all the way to the championships. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13 and the semifinals are scheduled Friday, Nov. 20. Finally, the championship is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 27.