Wyatt McConagha ’27.
As the 2025 fall sports season begins, the Sidwell football team prepares to face rival football teams for the first time in several years.
The Sidwell Friends varsity football team will face several key rivals this fall, highlighted by a Nov. 8 matchup against the Maret Frogs—the first meeting between the schools since 2022, when both were part of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
After going 0-4 in MAC play that season, the conference disbanded, and all five teams moved to independent schedules. Since then, Sidwell has gone 5-3 in 2023 and 3-5 in 2024..
Without a conference, Sidwell stopped playing many of its traditional rivalry games, such as Flint Hill, whom they have not played since 2022.
Junior Quarterback Tanner Drant said the advantages of playing independently outweigh the disadvantages.
“We have the ability to play some very good MAC schools,while not being tied down to playing every MAC school each year,” he said
“Being independent has given us the flexibility to tailor our schedule, challenge our players, and grow at our own pace,” added Offensive Coordinator Lynn Coffee III.
According to Drant, this new format has allowed the team to forge new rivalries with other teams in the DMV, including a growing rivalry with St. Stephens and St. Agnes, whom the team will play on Oct. 18 for Homecoming.
This scheduling freedom has also given Sidwell a more balanced slate of competitive opponents, rather than being required to face all the former MAC schools, Maret, St. James, Flint Hill and Potomac, teams that feature several high school recruited athletes. Sidwell, in comparison, rarely recruits players to their team.
While in the MAC, Sidwell competed annually for a league title. Now, they can still contend for the DCSAA championship, but the competition includes both private and public schools across the district.
However, Drant believes Sidwell’s game against Maret, Sidwell’s “biggest rival,” will provide that competitiveness. In their final meeting before the MAC’s disbanding, the Frogs defeated the Quakers 55-31. Nevertheless, Drant believes that this year “both teams are evenly matched.”
Still, the Quakers have maintained mediocrity against many of their independent school opponents, going 1-1 against the Digital Pioneers since leaving the MAC. In response, the coaches and players have worked on rebuilding the team culture to exceed past years.
“We’re creating a culture where hard work, discipline, and commitment are the standard [by] emphasizing fundamentals, football IQ, and character development,” Coffee said.
Sidwell opens with McKinley Tech on Sept. 5 with hopes for a great season ahead of them.