WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Although Warren JFK Football has enjoyed recent success, they lost a ton of talent to graduation and entered this year with a first-year head coach.

Damon Buente is now at the helm and isn’t letting any of that bother the Eagles, and they showed that with a statement win in week one.

“Running out for the first time, I was excited for the boys,” Buente said. “The 31 or 32 kids that were brave enough to say we’re going to do this and do it the right way.”

As the JFK new coach led his team onto the field before the game for the first time, there was a quick moment of reflection.

“I was excited for these kids and their families, after a summer of hard work. Really, it’s about the kids,” Buente said.

But it did not last long once the game began, especially after the Eagles fell behind early.

“We go down 7-3 and then in our first six possessions, we scored four times. So, having said that, I wish we would’ve responded a little bit better sooner,” Buente said. “But overall, you can’t be upset with four scores and six possessions.”

Plus, the buy-in on a new year is all throughout the roster, with those like juniors Mason Streets and Deaune Early ready to fill the gaps.

“He’s a great coach, I’m glad that he talked me into coming back out here,” Streets said. “This summer, it was hard work but it’s it’s paying off.”

“You can be the energy and you can bring it. You can boost everyone’s morale up, and you can boost the way they play and the way they think,” Early said. “And the key word — believe. If one of our leaders believes, I’m sure everyone else can believe.”

It’s just the beginning of the Buente Era at Kennedy, but starting off with a win can certainly boost morale.

“It’s a new team so I felt it, felt special. It was different, and I just love the standard here,” Early said.

“We’re the Kennedy family. We’re all super close,” Streets said. “Even when we’re down on each other, we’re back to back. We’ve always got each other’s backs no matter what.”

Warren JFK is set to take on Garfield this Saturday, August 26 in a week two matchup of 1-0 teams.