Winning a state championship is a process.
The Taft football team advanced to its first Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV state semifinals last season, marking the first time a Cincinnati Public School district program had won a regional championship in 32 years.
The players have a lot of confidence from making it that far in the playoffs, but they know they have to work to get back.
“I feel like our team is growing more, as a whole, individually and as a team,” junior quarterback Monsanna Torbert said. “Our guys are more dedicated. We’re trying not to rely on last year, (we have) to earn our own success. Our motto is ‘Earned, never given,’ so we go get everything. We work hard for everything that we achieve. We work harder than any team in the state, so I feel like with our work ethic and the talent that we got that we can go far. The sky is the limit.”
The Senators had some key graduation losses from last year but return nine starters who played one or both sides of the ball, and several others with a lot of varsity snaps. They have that Final Four experience.
“It gives us a lot of boost, but the things that we want to focus on is building that brotherhood,” Taft head coach Tyler Williams said. “Pushing this team to come together even more. What I continue to talk to the kids about, it wasn’t really so much about the talent. It was more toughness. So we are trying to put our kids in some of the toughest positions and make sure they don’t fold, make sure they don’t turn on each other. And that’s the biggest step right now. I’m not concerned about the talent or the schemes or who we’re playing. None of that really matters to me. We’re taking it one day at a time, building the younger guys up that didn’t get the experience this last year and just making sure we are mentally tough.”
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Source link : https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/ohio-high-school/2025/07/24/cincinnati-high-school-football-taft-senators-monsanna-torbert-preview-ohsaa-2025/85347417007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-24 04:05:00
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