Erin Kooser of Panther’s Tale talked with Derby senior Tanner Igo as the Panthers’ football team prepared to face Wichita Northwest (6-3) on Friday in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. The Panthers (9-0) are working to earn the school’s first back-to-back state football titles.
What are the challenges this team faces as the defending 6A state champs?
“Everybody is gunning to beat us. They are going to try everything they can to get us out of the playoff bracket and send us home.”
How much do you say this team really wants a back-to-back state title?
“We want it pretty bad. We’d be the first class to go back to back so it’d be something pretty special.”
After winning your junior year was there an immediate feeling of ‘we got to do this our senior year?’
“Yeah I think that once we saw that we won when we were juniors, we got this feeling that we could do it again as seniors, and we could go out on top like that was pretty cool.”
Hunter, your younger brother, has been able to perform on the varsity level a number of times this year as only a sophomore — what is it like having a younger brother on the team?
“You always want to see your siblings succeed. If they can get out and play on Fridays, then that’s pretty cool…. We can share the moments and we will be able to remember those for our lifetime together.”
You are the oldest of your siblings, how has that shaped you as a leader?
“I’ve had to have a lot patience. If somebody messes up or something then I have the patience to be like, ‘OK, you can do better’ and not explode the first time they mess up.”
How has your role on the team as a senior affected they way you play this year?
“You got to be more of a leader and you have to be able to lead on and off the field. The underclassman, you got to make sure they know what they are doing. So you are kind of a coach, too, in your last year.”
Who is someone that has had the biggest impact on you as a player?
“I’d say coach Mitch Pontious for sure. Before he was my coach, I thought about quitting and didn’t really want to play anymore, he just made it fun again.”
With this week’s game, is there much pressure on you and the team?
“I mean Northwest has been talking a lot the last two years about how they could beat us, so it will be fun to just come out and show them that, no they couldn’t beat us last year or this year.”
