SELMA, Ind.— For any team, being the defending state champion comes with the added pressure of a target on their back. In the case of the Muncie Burris Owls, that target was there long before the playoffs began according to head coach Jim Craig. 

“We went through that all year,” said Craig. “We have a different team. We lost two really good passers, really good defensive and really good leaders. We’re just kind of struggling at times to kind of calm the seas at the moment.” 

That pressure for the owls only increased when they wrapped up their regular season in a straight set loss. 

“Any time you have something like that happen, and you come back in to play the next game, there’s still that doubt in your head of ‘what are we doing, ‘how good are we,’ and ‘what can we do,’” claimed Craig. 

Although Craig, with his forty-eight years of experience, knows that his players are better than that. 

“The kids know what to do,” stated Craig. “It’s just trying to get them to continually think that they can do it and put it to use.” 

After struggling early in their title defense at sectionals, the owls would overcome the bumps to claim the sectional title, and more importantly keep their repeat hopes alive. And coach Craig wants these experiences to help his team grow. 

“When they get in that position, you’re obviously glad to see that we’ve got the ship sailing in the right direction again,” said Craig. “And once we did get that, we were able to get some momentum.” 

The Owls now turn to their regional game against Western Boone to keep defending their crown. 

Contact Jake Dickman with comments at jacob.dickman@bsu.edu.