PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2022: Olympia High School

The mantra at Olympia High School is simple, yet profound: Be better than the week before.

“Expectations are the same every season: We want to get better every game that we play,” head football coach Travis Gabriel said.

The team spent several hours training during the spring and summer months to prepare for the 2022-23 football season. 

“Working hard in the weight room, trying to get big, strong and fast like every other team out there and just improve on the things that we did last year,” Gabriel said of the past two months.

This year, the Titans’ schedule includes an interesting addition: Apopka. 

“We play a tough schedule; I want my kids to compete with some of the best,” Gabriel said. “I think the biggest addition is Apopka. We haven’t played (them) in over 15 years. The boys are pretty excited about that, (because of) the competition.”

The biggest change the team has to overcome for this upcoming season is having a new quarterback in Juan Gainous. 

“He is well-equipped; he understands what we want to do,” Gabriel said. 

In Olympia, the culture of the team is precisely based on the word “team.” 

“I’m not going to say we have one or two players to watch,” Gabriel said. “We try to do things like a team, so if anybody wants to watch — just watch the team.”