CHENEY, Wash. – Courage, Class, Commitment.
Those three words encompass the Cheney Blackhawks as they look to rebuild after a remarkable 8-2 season.
“I think there’s a different sense of urgency this year,” quarterback Connor Collins said. “We got to get it done. We got to go now. Like we got some work to do, but we know what we got to do, and it’s just time to get done.”
“We play hard every snap,” head coach John Graham said. “Take care of the process. You know, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. We take it. We do what we’re supposed to do every day at practice. Stick the standard, stick the process. And the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
Cheney shocked the GSL with win after win, culminating in their first state appearance in a decade, but one that ended in a one-point heartbreak.
“We started the season this year with a Wing-T team, and we ended the season last year playing against a Wing-T team. We don’t play a lot of them, so, as much as it sucked to lose last year, I think carrying that into this year will help us a lot with the first game and against Prep. So, I think it will help us with different things. You know, losing doesn’t always kill you. It can help you.”
“We’re not going to… we didn’t focus on the result of that game,” Graham said. “We focused on that process, and we gave it everything we had. So, we’re going to build on it. We had a good summer, and we’re ready to go this year.”
Now, the new group of seniors looks to leave a positive legacy in Cheney, one powered by GSL MVP quarterback Connor Collins.
“Because those seniors that they had good leadership-wise, but I think it’s my turn to take that next step in leadership and just lead by example, lead by if that’s vocal or just on the field,” Collins said.
“Well, it hurts losing those guys because you kind of relied on them to do a part of the job,” Huse said. “But it also helps you because now I can go out there and I can tell guys what we did last year that helped us.”
The Blackhawks begin their 2026 season at the Southridge Suns on Friday, Sept. 4.
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