De Pere has “prove it“ attitude entering season with high expectations

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - A game away from state each of the last two seasons, the De Pere Redbirds don’t have to look far for motivation.

“It’s rough, you know, because you’re that close. You’re so close to the place you want to be, the goal,” said junior Will Hornseth.

“And that’s get to state. As a senior now it really pushes me knowing this is my last chance,” said senior John Kinziger.

The defending FRCC champs will run it back this year with plenty of talent on the roster. Starting with Illinois State signee John Kinziger, and division one recruit Will Hornseth. So the expectations are undoubtedly high for a team that’s been among the state’s best each of the last two seasons.

“They’ve approached it the right way, and now it’s time to go out, the season is here. They need to play with a chip on their shoulder. They need to have that prove it attitude, and that’s what we’re trying to make sure they have every day,” said head coach Brian Winchester.

“We’ve got to keep working. Put in the work as a team. It’s not individuals. We’ve got to play as team. It starts on defense, and we’ve got to put the work in,” said Hornseth.

Handling expectations will be a key this year for a team that will get everyone’s best shot each night. Whether that’s in FRCC against the likes of Bay Port, Notre Dame, and Ashwaubenon. Or in non-conference play as they take on the likes of Kimberly, Brookfield East, and Wisconsin Lutheran.

A tough schedule that starts with cross town rival West De Pere on December 3rd. So all the Redbirds can do is enjoy the ride.

“You know, it’s going to be a lot of fun for everybody associated with it, our community, our school, our players. So we just want to make sure we sit back a little bit, and enjoy what we have this year. March will get here and we’ll be ready for it,” said Winchester.

“We had to prove that we belong up there. We couldn’t just say you’ve got to stay humble. We can’t just say we’re the best team. We have to prove to everybody we’re the best team and stay humble about it,” said Kinziger.

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