Many things are different about this year’s football team. Not only are they having a winning season for the first time in twenty three years but they also have new uniforms. Not new red and white ones like one might assume, but they are almost all black. The new uniforms are all black with a red number and white outline. 

“Um, I think it’s just to change everything up. We’ve been rocking with the same uniforms for years now. I think it’s just a good chance to show that we’re different this year,” said senior Jaylen Green. 

Different is what they are this year. The football team looks like a completely different set of athletes from past years. West had three touchdowns total last year and this year has scored six times that thus far. 

“Well, we’ve talked about it [black jerseys] for a while. And we just thought it was a good option. For some things a good change up. We’ve tried to kind of rebrand ourselves and that was a good fit and the kids were excited to try it,” Coach Krusey said.

Red and white are the colors traditionally thought of when you think of West. West has never had black jerseys before but maybe that’s just the change needed. 

“So I know that currently, the superintendent prefers that we not have the black however, they were already ordered when that had come to me,” Athletic Director Mrs. Lillis said.

Some people agree with superintendent TJ Schneckloth, though. Some people think we don’t look like West with the black jerseys; they think we look like other schools. 

“Yeah, I do. I think our jerseys still look a lot like Assumptions’ jerseys,” senior Kelton Youngberg said.

With something that is such a big change and new, everyone has different opinions. Not everyone feels that black isn’t a color that shouldn’t be used on uniforms. 

“I mean, it’s just a popular jersey color; black is popular all around, so I wouldn’t say we’re copying. We’re just going with something new,” junior Kaleb English said.

Schneckloth said he doesn’t want West to have black and only red and white. But is black technically a color? 

“It’s a tough call where you draw the lines, and I do get it though. You know, black isn’t a color. And there’s so much red on it[the jerseys]. Yeah […] I would have voted for red which, like I said, I think black is a great accent that it really makes things stand out and highlights really well,” Lillis said. 

There was a lot of planning that went into getting new uniforms. Like who pays for them, who designs them, and even who approves them. 

“They[football team coaches] felt the best place to go was the Booster Club […] We’d like to get new uniforms, and we would like them to be black, and he had the mock up of what the jerseys look like […] we won’t do them, unless there’s an approval […] the Booster Club did say that they agreed […] so Coach Krusey went ahead and ordered those for them,” Lillis said. 

With the football team buying the jerseys through the West Athletic Booster Club they got to design the jersey however they wanted. Coach Krusey chose the color and even designed it himself. 

“Yeah, I like the new black jerseys; I wish they had like Falcons or a logo on them. But yeah, I like the new jerseys,” senior Devon Sanders Howard said.

Although every person has different opinions on the new jerseys; they have been the change the football team needed. As they go into their next weeks of playing, we hope they will keep their winning streak going. Go Falcons!