SHS Seniors Lead Boys Soccer Back to State Tournament

SHS Boys Soccer team huddles up. NMR PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS

A four-year member of the Southington boys soccer team, Ethan Prata has been in the front seat of the Blue Knights’ rollercoaster ride. His junior season saw Southington miss the Class LL State Tournament completely. Entering his senior year, Prata was determined to ensure the Blue Knights got back on track.

Following the arrival of new head coach Tyler Turner, Southington adopted a fresh identity. Prata wasn’t alone in his quest for success. Every Blue Knight committed to a culture of accountability and put in the work necessary to reach new heights. 

“The culture,” Prata says of the biggest difference in his senior year. “Everyone loves each other, we’re all one big friend group. We know how to play together, we have that chemistry. The whole summer, even the winter we spent building that bond together, just to put it all out here.”

Ethan Prata (3) pursues the ball near the sideline.

It didn’t take long for Turner to see what this year’s team was made of. He was aware of Southington’s past results. Still, neither he nor his team chose to sulk. They were prepared for adversity, and in the end, Prata and the entire senior class saw their initial goal come to fruition.

“Their maturity and professionalism. Knowing a standard when you’re winning,” Turner said of the team’s biggest area of growth. “We got a dose of reality this season. Last season wasn’t the greatest result-wise. This season started off like a firecracker. We started to hit some speed bumps and now we’re starting to see the adversity, who can push through and who can’t. To be fair, all of them can, and they showed that today.”

Coach Turner walks with Drew Emmendorfer.

At 10-3-2, the Blue Knights have clinched a spot in the Class LL State Tournament. Southington hasn’t won 10 games since their 2016 season. The Blue Knights will try for win 11, which last happened in 2015, in their final regular season game away against New Britain on October 26.

Prata is proud that he will be ending his run with the Blue Knights in the State Tournament. But Southington isn’t resting on their laurels. The job isn’t finished. This year’s team still has more to prove.

“We’re going to keep our heads high,” Prata said. “We’ve had a rough back end of the season, but we’re going to keep our heads up and keep working.”

Southington Celebrates Their Seniors

On October 20, Southington hosted their Senior Night matchup against Newington. For Turner, it was an emotional event on numerous counts. Playing for the USA Men’s National Team from U13 to U23, he never had his own Senior Night.

Furthermore, when Turner saw the look on all of his seniors’ faces, the head coach’s own emotions began to seep out. While it may be his first year with the Blue Knights, Turner has formed a strong bond with a senior class that has helped lay a new foundation for Southington boys soccer.

“Seeing their faces, their emotions, I started crying,” Turner said. “If that’s not a tell of how important this is to them, how important they are to me, I don’t know what will be. I don’t cry for much.

Ultimately, the Blue Knights fell short in that Senior Night battle, losing 1-0. The winning goal came with just 14:38 remaining. While Prata was upset at the loss, he said that Southington, “gave it all we got, and that’s all that matters.”

Turner echoed those sentiments. There will be clear areas to improve heading into the postseason, and the Blue Knights will always strive to grow. Still, the head coach wanted his team to acknowledge how far they have come in the first place.

“You can be angry, you can be upset. We’re all competitors,” Turner said. “But you’re going to remember what position you put yourself in to be upset. We can’t sell ourselves short. We put the work in defensively. Now it’s about going back to the drawing board, going back to the field and getting into the intricacies of keeping the ball in possession instead of playing long ball.”

Prata, who is a captain alongside juniors Kevin Porzycki and Sawyer Johnston, leads a senior class of six. He is joined by Jonathan Plourde, Drew Emmendorfer, Matt Villacis, Jacob Morkos and Jacob Rogalski. To be named captain in a class like this was a dream come true for the right back.

“It meant everything to me,” Prata said. “That’s all I’ve wanted to do since my freshman year. Now that I finally got the chance, I’m proud that I’m leading the group I did lead. That means the world to me, I love these guys.”

For many of the seniors, their time together on the pitch began long before they were Blue Knights. That tight-knit group includes Rogalski, a four-year member of the team.

There were times Rogalski had to dig deep, such as when Southington fell out of contention. But he kept moving forward, and never threw in the towel. To do so next to teammates he has grown up with made playing for Southington all the more satisfying.

“Means a ton. These guys all work together as a team,” Rogalski said. “We’ve lost a lot of kids, we probably would’ve had 12 at some point. But six of us stuck together, I’ve been with four of them since I was little. It means so much to be with them still. Working with them means the world.”

Jacob Rogalski with the ball.

While racking up wins and making the State Tournament was top priority, it wasn’t the only reason Rogalski sacrificed so much. No matter the outcome, there was no better feeling than playing for the Blue Knights. He won’t soon forget all the moments on and off the field.

“Fun is the biggest thing,” Rogalski said. “I love being with the guys. Just an awesome time with everybody. I’ll cherish these memories forever.”

The same goes for Prata. Playing alongside Rogalski, the senior class and the entire Southington boys soccer team will be forever be front and center in his memory mantel.

“How could I forget it?” Prata asked. “The culture, these people mean so much to me. So memorable, I’ll never forget these kids. These kids are like my world, I love these guys.”

Southington Prepares For State Tournament

As they enter the State Tournament, Southington will be relying on their defense. The Blue Knights have allowed two or more goals just four times this season. Over their last three matchups they have not let in more than one.

Johnston, who plays center back, has seen the team’s enthusiasm surge this season. That newfound energy helped spark Southington’s defensive revival. But now the junior is looking to take things a step further.

The Blue Knights want to turn their defense into offensive opportunities. A quicker transition will be required for success in the playoffs. Johnston says Southington is going to bring everything they have into the State Tournament. If all goes to according to plan, the team will have a more ferocious attack.

“We’re good at transitioning. But we need to build up more,” Johnston said. “We need to work as a team more. That’s something we can work on and build more over time as we grow.”

Against Newington, Southington was put into plenty of long ball situations. They’d make a stop on defense, but then be forced to send a pass deep down the field, which their opponents managed to negate. Turner is looking for the Blue Knights to play with more control and have a clear intent behind each possession. To do so, it will take all 11 players being on the same page.

“The defense has been rock solid all year,” Turner said. “Now we’re incorporating the whole team, which we’re going to benefit from.”

Since 2010, Southington has won a first-round Class LL State Tournament game just three times, most recently in 2017. Earning a victory has become the Blue Knights’ current fixation. Their 2026 run showed everyone in the program the power of perseverance. Now, Southington wants to etch their name into the record books.

“That’s our goal,” Turner said sternly of winning a first-round state tournament game. “I do care how we get it done. But at the end of the day, the result is the result. We’re putting all of our eggs into that basket now, focusing there. We’re going to give a show.”

The 2026 Southington varsity boys soccer team features seniors: Jonathan Plourde, Drew Emmendorfer, Ethan Prata, Matt Villacis, Jacob Morkos and Jacob Rogalski; juniors: Jacob Coyotecatl, Sawyer Johnston, Kevin Porzycki, Nick Dura, Ryan Andrews, Sebastian Lompart, Lucas Vera, Thomas Carbone, Luke Coloccino, Matt Grabowski, Esti Elezi, Ryan Goss and Mitch Moon; sophomores: Nathan Owen and Dario Cirikovic; and freshman Tatum Guida.

Turner is joined by JV coach Keith Orstad and freshman coach Peter Farr.

Goalie Jonathan Plourde.

For more sports photography by NMR Photography, click here.

Lily Eidukaityte Taking Volleyball Dreams, Perseverance to College Level

Lily Eidukaityte prepares to serve. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LILY EIDUKAITYTE

When she goes to bed, Lily Eidukaityte is thinking about volleyball. A new day is met by immediate thoughts of how best to slam a spike down on her opponent. The Southington senior has become engulfed in a sport she says gave her a second family. Which is why every waking moment spent by Eidukaityte is focused on becoming the best player and teammate she can be.

The senior’s efforts have earned her an opportunity to play at the collegiate level with Le Moyne College. First, however, Eidukaityte must finish out her last season with the Blue Knights. During her final campaign, the outside hitter and her teammates have been living by a mantra of, “just play with everything you have.” When Eidukaityte’s last set with Southington arrives, she doesn’t want any regrets over what could’ve been.

“I want us to go as far as we can. Leave no regrets on the court,” Eidukaityte said. “Even if we take a loss, if we played to our best ability, pushed each other, trusted each other, that’s growth. We want to grow as a team every day, every practice. We really have been doing that. Anything is possible if we just keep growing every day.

What Eidukaityte has now is a confidence that has been fostered through her years of playing volleyball. She isn’t afraid of being aggressive and is confident she can do everything on the court if she sets her mind to it.

The sport has become a defining factor of Eidukaityte’s life. When the serve goes up, she’s in outside hitter mode. The world sees a side of her that the senior is proud to present.

“Volleyball is almost like my second personality,” Eidukaityte said. “I have me, ‘normal me,’ and then there’s like a ‘competitive me.’ It builds me as a person knowing there is something about me everyone knows. Everyone knows, ‘Lily, she plays volleyball.’ It has just always been with me.”

While volleyball may have been fun originally for Eidukaityte, it took time for it to become second nature. That journey has helped mold everything the senior is on and off the court.

Eidukaityte Becomes Immersed in Volleyball

In the summer heading into sixth grade, Eidukaityte decided to give volleyball a try. She had always been athletic, competing in softball and gymnastics among other activities. But Eidukaityte wanted a sport that truly matched her interests. 

At first, she attended clinics to learn the fundamentals of volleyball. Eidukaityte enjoyed the fact that it was a team sport as well as individual. During that sixth grade season, she joined the John F. Kennedy middle school team. There, she met a new coach and teammates, a meeting that only reaffirmed Eidukaityte’s conviction that she had found her sport.

Playing at JFK for three years, the outside hitter worked under head coach Lisa Volpe. Eidukaityte said she fell in love with the sport because of her and that the coach really helped her understand everything volleyball could offer. The fundamentals were beginning to click, and a quest to improve had officially begun.

“Everyone starts off somewhere,” Eidukaityte said. “I wasn’t that good at it, and I really wanted to get good at it. I didn’t like not being good at something. So I pushed myself to get good at it. It just grew on me.”

Along with playing at Kennedy, Eidukaityte competed at the club level with New England Shock before joining CT Juniors. Prior to entering high school, volleyball had already made its way to Eidukaityte’s core. Her thoughts soon became occupied with the idea of sharing the court with teammates she valued.

“Volleyball was something I’d be excited to talk to my friends about,” Eidukaityte said. “It was something I could look forward to every day. It made waking up every morning easier because I knew I had something to look forward to. My teammates, and going to practice every day, made my day better.”

As a freshman, Eidukaityte officially joined the Blue Knights. She had been prepared for the changes that would come from being a high school student-athlete. But she says the transition was made much easier having teammates like Meredith Barry by her side.

Competing with the JV team, Eidukaityte learned a whole new level of volleyball from coach Lindsey Witte. She also began to see the effort it takes to succeed at the varsity level.

“The level of competition was insane. It was such a different jump,” Eidukaityte said. “But my teammates were all amazing and we all supported each other. I got so much better at everything. Serve receive was always harder for me. I remember my coach showed me the ways on how to be better, more consistent. I learned a whole different way to pass. It was a new mindset. That mindset really helped.”

Surging Into Senior Year

As a sophomore, Eidukaityte made the jump to the varsity team. She had plenty of experience under her belt at that point. But she was competing alongside the best Southington had to offer. The outside hitter’s level of play needed to improve accordingly.

“My sophomore year I was probably the most nervous to be on the court,” Eidukaityte said. “I was playing with seniors. I’m playing with girls who I felt were much better than me. I wanted to get to the point that they were at. It helped me see what I wanted to do.”

Working in Eidukaityte’s favor is her love for practice. She attended every session she could possibly make. The more reps, the better. Between playing volleyball and being alongside her teammates, practice “took stress out of her day.”

Eidukaityte was searching for more consistency and began working out more to gain extra strength. As an all-around outside hitter, she has to play in the front and back of the formation. That requires a high level of focus in numerous areas of volleyball. But versatility is a trait Eidukaityte takes pride in, one she has been trying to hone over her time with the Blue Knights.

“It’s all about consistency,” Eidukaityte said. “There’s a lot of balance with what I have to do. It's a different kind of perspective as an outside. You kind of have to do everything. You have to be there for assists, you have to know how to set. You have to know every aspect of volleyball as an outside hitter. It’s definitely a lot of working knowing your job. I love my position.”

As a junior, it became clear that all the hard work had paid off. Eidukaityte was named to the All-Central Connecticut Conference team. There was always an internal confidence in her status as a player. But the accolade proved that the conference at large had seen Eidukaityte’s growth.

“I see my talent, I was really proud of myself for getting that," the outside hitter said. “It wasn’t a label. It just showed that other coaches see it too, they see my potential. The fact that other coaches saw it, that I could make it, gave me confidence.”

Heading into her senior season, head coach Richard Heitz laid down a challenge. He knew Eidukaityte had big dreams when it came to volleyball. To reach them, her physical strength would be put to the test. Not a problem for the Blue Knights star, who ranks second in Class LL with 229 kills as of this writing, according to MaxPreps. She also set a Southington high school record with 37 kills against Maloney. Eidukaityte took Heitz’s challenge head on and has exceeded the head coach’s expectations.

“One of the discussions we had with her was, if you really want to get where you want to get, you got to get physically stronger,” Heitz said. “Lily did that. She is physically stronger this year and she looks more dominant from the outside.”

As she looks back on her four-year Southington run, Eidukaityte sees a “completely different player.” She’s prepared to take charge and make a play when necessary. At the same time, the senior has learned what it means to be a good teammate. All that practice, all that drive led Eidukaityte to clarify what success means to her.

“I’m a much more aggressive player. I’m playing with a lot more confidence,” Eidukaityte said. “In hard times, I want to produce for my team. My team trusts me and I trust my teammates as well. I love my team this year, this has been one of the best teams I’ve been on relationship wise. We’re all putting in 100 percent in practice. We’re all all-in this year and we really want to see something come of that.”

“From freshman year to now I’ve definitely become a better teammate,” she continued. “You grow. When you’re younger you’re just not the same when you’re older. You see different things. I’ve definitely grown in almost every aspect.”

Eidukaitye’s Volleyball Dreams Continue On in College

At Le Moyne, the graduating senior will be majoring in business management. Playing at the college level, “was always a goal and a hope,” for Eidukaityte. But actually seeing that dream come to fruition put her volleyball career in an even broader perspective.

It was a stressful process, Eidukaityte admits. But her mother Kristina was by her side every step of the way, helping guide the senior’s selection. In the end, “whatever was meant to happen, happened.” The volleyball standout has found a new home to continue mastering her craft.

She knows collegiate volleyball will once again test her ability to adapt. But if playing for Southington taught Eidukaityte anything, it’s the value of hard work and competing as a collective unit. Her “play with everything you have” mantra will be making the trip to Le Moyne.

“Every day you want to become a better player,” Eidukaityte said. “When I get to college I don’t want to just stop improving. I want to be the best player I can be in college, I want to be there for my teammates. I value relationships a lot, and I’ll value them in college as well.”

Eidukaityte’s run with the Blue Knights has allowed her to grow and compete in a sport that is an inseparable part of her. It also gave her a chance to play alongside girls she will cherish long after graduation. Dreams of spikes still dash around Eidukaityte’s mind. But to the senior, the only thing sweeter has been sharing her passion with her Southington family.

“It’s a blessing, honestly,” Eidukaityte said of being a volleyball player. “I’m here, I’m playing, I’m going to college for it. I have a family from a sport. The girls I play with, they’re my family. It’s somewhere I go and I’m happy to be there. Everybody has a bad practice. I know if I have a bad practice, I know the girls will be like, ‘It’s okay, we can go get ice cream or something.’ The fact it has given me a family is just amazing.”

SHS Girls Volleyball Look to Serve Something Special in 2026

The Southington Blue Knights Girls Volleyball team. MAX PREPS PHOTO

“Winners fail, losers hide,” is a phrase written on one of the Southington high school girls volleyball team’s whiteboards. It serves as the Blue Knights’ guiding mantra, and a reminder of how head coach Richard Heitz wants his team to play.

Mistakes are going to happen. Heitz not only anticipates it, he welcomes those miscues. For a team to achieve their loftiest goals, the head coach acknowledges that sometimes you have to push the envelope. All members of the Blue Knights must be prepared to take risks and learn from any mistake, not dwell on it

“It’s okay to make mistakes,” Heitz said. “You have to make mistakes in order to get better. You have to make aggressive mistakes. If you try to play so you don’t make a mistake, you’re not going to be successful. It’s just the way the game is.”

“Some kids coming in have a hard time with that, it’s a challenge,” he continued. “Statistically, the team that makes the most aggressive mistakes in a match will win. When they’re not making a mistake, they’re dominating.”

While the Blue Knights graduated six lettermen, they also return six players who saw significant playing time in 2025. Also, Heitz has been serving as head coach for nearly three decades. Southington’s expectations have been made clear, and are understood by everyone around the program.

Entering their 2026 campaign, Heitz and company are looking to find a bit more consistency. While the Blue Knights stayed competitive in 2025, at times they fell short in tense moments. For Southington to return to their past heights, this year’s team must continue to mesh and learn how to play under pressure.

“We want to have a measured intensity, we don’t have the peaks and valleys that we had at times last year,” Heitz said. “You’ve got a bunch of different players and some haven’t played together. You’re trying to develop a team. We’re trying to learn about each other and connect. They’re good kids. So far they enjoy playing together.”

Southington Relying On Serve

When the Blue Knights step on the court, their serving ability is expected to draw the spotlight. Southington returned a litany of strong servers, and Heitz said he saw numerous Blue Knights drastically improve in that regard over the offseason. Now, the team is just trying to fine tune their serving approach in an effort to maximize their strength.

“We’re a very strong serving team,” Heitz said. “We’ve just got to find the happy medium between being aggressive and not causing errors. Serve receive passing, we’ve realized as a team we need to get a little higher quality of pass to be where we want to be. The analytics out there nowadays are pretty good. The stuff they feel on the court they can actually see on paper.”

As they prepare to serve, Southington is looking to take their opponent, “out of their system.” The Blue Knights don’t want them to find their rhythm or have any easy response to the attack. If they can consistently keep those opponents out of their system via the serve, Heitz is confident Southington will find success.

“To be successful, you’re trying to make the other team do things they don’t want to do,” Heitz said. “When you serve tough, they don’t get that first pass so they can’t run their middle hitter against you, which is the hardest to defend. They can’t run their system if you’re serving tough. You want to make the other team do things they’re uncomfortable with, makes your life a lot easier.”

In terms of standout servers, Heitz was quick to rattle of the names of four seniors, Meredith Barry, Grace Zehnder, Lauren Warych and Angelica Stavidlo. The head coach is expecting the quartet to lead the way in the serve department. Across the board though, Heitz has been impressed with the team’s ability to collectively develop their biggest strength.

Southington isn’t trying to send the ball over the net lackadaisically. They want to be strategic in how they serve. The Blue Knights know their point of attack could be lethal.

“Statistically, the worst thing you can do is miss a serve,” Heitz said. “The second worst thing you can do is just get the ball over. If you just get the ball over, the other team has an easy pass, they’re swinging, you’re playing defense. It’s a hard balance between the two.”

Blue Knights Off To Hot Start

Southington’s 2026 season started off with a 3-0 loss to Greenwich. However, the Blue Knights got back on track in a hurry and have won their last three games. They’ll take their 3-1 record into matchups against RHAM at home on September 23 and Glastonbury away on September 4.

In the opener, senior Lily Eidukaityte led the way with 10 kills while Barry and Warych contributed six and five respectively. Sophomore Emme Steindl put up 19 assists and six digs as Zehnder contributed 11 digs. The Blue Knights won a hard-fought battle in game two, knocking off Maloney 3-2: 22-25, 25-14, 25-23, 25-27, 17-15. Eidukaityte again led the team with 37 kills and two aces. Steindl had 60 assists, 12 digs and three blocks as Zehnder recorded 17 digs. Barry had 11 kills, Warych eight and Stavidlo five.

Southington began an official winning streak when they defeated Berlin 3-0: 25-17, 25-15, 25-16. Eidukaityte had 13 kills, eight digs and three aces while Barry had seven kills and five blocks. Warych put up six kills and two aces as Steindl notched 29 assists. The Blue Knights won their second-straight 3-0 victory over Farmington: 25-21, 25-20, 25-20. Eidukaityte (17 kills, five digs) and Barry (seven kills, three aces, three blocks) continued their hot streaks while Steindl had another massive showing with 34 blocks and six digs. Warych had six kills and three aces as Zehnder registered six digs.

Southington’s three-game win streak shows this team could battle through adversity after losing the opener. To keep winning, Heitz wants to see the Blue Knights continue to practice rigorously and stay determined to improve.

“You’re going to have to push yourself in practice,” Heitz said. “We have such good servers it makes it harder on our passers. We’re giving ourselves at times the best practice around. It’s like baseball in the spring, pitchers and catchers report. Pitchers always seem to have that advantage when spring training starts up. Right now our servers have the advantage over our passers. Got to get our passers to catch up a bit.”

Southington Roster Features Experience, Depth

With six lettermen graduated, the Blue Knights certainly have a different look on the court compared to their 2025 version. One key difference is that there are no team captains, a system Southington has used in the past. But the upperclassmen have fully grasped what it takes to succeed in the program while the underclassmen are itching to leave their mark.

In the senior class, Eidukaityte is a reigning All-Central Connecticut Conference selection, having led Southington with 232 kills. Heading into her final campaign, Heitz and the coaching staff encouraged the outside hitter to get physically stronger. Eidukaityte took that challenge head on and has succeeded, looking more physically dominant in 2026.

Barry was another All-Conference selection in 2025 after she led the team with a .398 hitting percentage and ranked second with 175 kills. Heitz called the senior already physically strong and sees her only bulking up further. He’s also excited for the advanced work she has put in with Steindl.

Warych ended her junior season with upward momentum and entered 2026 on a similar track. She is poised to work opposite Eidukaityte with Heitz expecting big results due to a rise in confidence. Zehnder is taking on the role of libero after Paige Raines’ graduation. While she’ll have plenty of expectations on her shoulders, the senior’s head coach thinks she’s more than up to the task.

Stavidlo was mainly a reserve in 2025 due to the players in front of her. But she stayed ready for when her name was called. Heitz was impressed with her improvement over the offseason and has high hopes for her ability all over the court.

At setter, Steindl will be holding down the fort. She gained plenty of experience playing the role as a freshman. The now sophomore has gained the trust of her team and will be tasked with setting up the offense.

Behind Steindl is sophomore Ryleigh Robinson, who made the leap from freshman to varsity volleyball. Beyond just the duo, Heinz sees plenty of talent at setter throughout the program. He’s hoping it creates a pipeline of talent.

“We have four setters on JV that are good players,” Heitz said. “We’ve never been this deep at the position. It's been kind of a challenge, but a good challenge.”

Alongside Robinson, sophomore Lila Caputo - who Heitz says has the highest vertical on the team - also made the leap from the freshman to varsity. She is among numerous underclassmen Heitz expects to make an impact.

“You had some underclassmen who were chomping at the bit, they were close,” the head coach said. “They understood the role at the time and are willing to step in. The starters that we had have certainly come back stronger.”

Outside of those already listed, Southington will be expecting juniors Alexa Garcia and Kaylee Miglietta to have feature roles. Heitz stated he could turn to the JV team for extra help at times. Ultimately, the Blue Knights want to field the team that gives them the greatest chance to win.

The 2026 Southington girls volleyball roster features seniors: Grace Zehnder, Lauren Warych, Meredith Barry, Lily Eidukaityte and Angelica Stavidlo; juniors: Kaylee Miglietta and Alexa Garcia; alongside sophomores: Emme Steindl, Ryleigh Robinson and Lila Caputo,

Coach Heitz is joined by assistant coaches: Lindsey White, Kasia Kalinowski and Julia Tinyszin.

Girls Volleyball Ready to Grow as One

Heitz has coached plenty of successful teams in his two decades plus with the Blue Knights, holding a career 431-128 record as head coach entering the season. As recently as 2023, Southington advanced to the finals of the Class LL State Tournament. The program is trying to reach those heights once more. Heitz is confident this year’s team will remain competitive throughout.

But however far girls volleyball goes, the head coach doesn’t want Southington’s growth to only come on the court. Being a member of the Blue Knights means more than just aces and digs. If Heitz sees each player strive to be the best version of themselves, Southington has succeeded.

“It’s education-based athletics,” Heitz said. “The whole reason I coach is to teach life skills through a common interest in the sport of volleyball. Ultimately, did they grow individually as people? Representing the community, learning how to be in a team construct. Your whole life you’re going to be in a team construct. That’s how you look at success.”

“We do things the right way,” he concluded. “If we touch the ball and it goes out of bounds, we fess up. Not every other team does that. If you work hard and play the right way, you’re going to generally like what you see on the scoreboard.”