11/16/2025
Another season is in the books, and once again I find myself sitting and reflecting. Over the past sixteen hours, countless thoughts have run through my mind things we could have done differently, things we wish we had done, mistakes we made, and things we did well. How do you put a football season into words? How do you make people understand what it takes to perform at a high level day in and day out, only to be put on display and judged for just a few hours each week?
We challenge our players’ toughness every day. We ask them to consider how tough they truly are and what they are willing to sacrifice for their team and for their town. We ask them to push the limits of their minds, bodies, and spirits, knowing they will be judged by outsiders based on a record or a score. Coach Jim Harbaugh once said, “Football is the last bastion of hope for toughness in American men.” I don’t think he could have been more right. This season, more than any other I’ve coached at Onalaska, I’ve seen just how deeply this sport—and this team reflect what it means to become a man.
We constantly reinforce grit and toughness, and this year, these young men were challenged again and again. They were asked to be tough, to stand tall, and to prove themselves not just as football players, but as men. And time after time, they did just that. For that, I could not be more proud of each and every one of you.
This team taught me to trust a vision, a plan, and a brotherhood and when that plan doesn’t work, to get back up and go again. They taught me to run toward the noise instead of away from it, to meet challenges head on. Gentlemen thank you.
In a season where leadership was uncertain, where we battled injuries and had few seniors, it would have been easy to fold. It would have been easy to go through the motions.It would have been easy to quit But you didn’t. You showed up. You worked. You fought. And for that, I will forever be indebted to you.
Football is a funny game. It’s a game of inches, of bounces, of catches and drops, of highs and lows, of opportunities and missed opportunities but more than anything, it’s a game that reflects life. And gentlemen, you have taught me more about life this year than any experience I have ever had.
To the seniors: I wish you nothing but happiness and success in whatever comes next. Don’t forget about us because we will not forget about you.
To the underclassmen, remember what Winston Churchill said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Be courageous.
I love you all. Thank you for allowing me to coach you and be a part of your lives.
Until next season, Loggers
Keep Diggin’.
– Coach Saade