DONNA – It’s been a tough season for winless Donna North.

In spite of their struggles, they’ve learned valuable lessons from first-year coach Joe Marichalar.

“We had some bumps along the road, but we stuck through it together and created a huge impact,” said senior linebacker Angel Gonzalez. “He created a brotherhood we’ve never had around here.”

Marichalar knew he faced a challenge in taking over a relatively new program that hadn’t won many games in the past.

He wanted mentally strong players. Guys who understood it was not going to be a quick turnaround.

“We’re shooting for quality not quantity,” said Marichalar. “We want those that want to be here to change a culture and do everything right. That’s kind of our target, where’s it’s North tough, only tough guys allowed.”

“One of the best coaches we’ve had,” said senior quarterback Jesus Lagunes. “He gave his all to us. Real competitive person.”

About three-fourths of the squad will be back next year. They know it’s an uphill climb, but they’re determined to improve in the offseason.

“People show themselves when they win, but they don’t show themselves when they lose,” said junior linebacker Christian Cortina. “We showed that we stayed together until the end. The seniors started this foundation and next year, we are going to make the possibility of making more wins.”

The Chiefs will have one last shot to garner a victory in 2018 when they take on Edinburg Thursday night.