The DeKalb football team spent the summer focused on resilience , making sure that one loss didn’t send the team into a tailspin.

That bounce-back ability was on full display Friday in a 26-8 win over Phillips .

In Week 1, the Barbs fell to rival Sycamore 22-21 , a game in which they led in the fourth quarter. Last year, the Barbs lost 35-28 to Sycamore in a game they led 28-14 in the fourth . They lost seven in a row after that.

“I think it validates all their hard work,” DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said. “Last year, we lose a tough one Week 1 and it kind of snowballed on us from there. This year, I think our kids, our seniors, have shown a lot of resiliency in the ability to bounce back. They’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point, and I’m proud and excited for them to

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