Courtesy of Amy Hawthorne
Brennan Pak dives through defensive pressure to score a touchdown.In a spirited Friday night home game against Monta Vista on Sept. 26, the Falcons varsity football team’s defensive and offensive momentum overwhelmed the Matadors, taking the team’s Peninsula-Lake league record to 1-0 and their overall record to 3-1.
Almost a week later, however, the Falcons had so many injuries that they were forced to forfeit a league home game to Jefferson, originally planned for Thursday, Oct. 2. Kwong said they were down to about 15 healthy players.
With more time to heal, the Falcons hope to be able to take the field against El Camino on Oct. 10 in an away game and defend their home turf against Cupertino on Oct. 17 for their Homecoming game.
The Falcons had a slow start to begin the game against Monta Vista, ending the first quarter tied 0-0; both teams held each other back from scoring, a result of their strong defensive lines.
Senior running back Brennan Pak sparked offensive momentum near the end of the first quarter when he caught a pass and headed for a running touchdown, but he was ultimately stopped at the 6-yard line. Though unsuccessful at first, the Falcons’ momentum slowly began to build as the game progressed.
The second quarter marked a turnaround; the Falcons greatly improved their focus, despite missing injured seniors and starters like senior running backs Ian Johnson and James Gavin.
Later into the quarter, the Falcons rebounded on the offensive end as junior quarterback Anson Hulme launched a 36-yard pass to junior wide receiver Akiva Goldwasser. The Falcons were able to start a new set of downs at Monta Vista’s 15-yard line but were unable to score after a turnover on downs.
Saratoga’s defense held firm, with junior middle linebacker Mo Pahulu getting an early tackle-for-loss at Saratoga’s 20-yard line within two minutes of the second quarter. The Falcons capitalized from the Matadors’ mistakes, including a blocked punt and fumble recovery at the 10-yard line just 22 seconds after Pahulu’s tackle.
As Monta Vista’s defense weakened, Hulme broke through their defensive line and powered through to score the game’s first rushing touchdown from the 1-yard line. Junior kicker Victor Mancuso converted a PAT, putting the Falcons up 7-0.
With under a minute left of the second quarter, the Falcons ran a trick play, with Hulme laterally passing the ball to junior wide receiver Justice Andrews. Andrews then completed a 34-yard pass to Pak, who scored the second touchdown of the night after running another 5 yards. Mancuso’s successful conversion of another PAT brought Saratoga’s lead to a steady 14-0.
However, just as the Falcons started to pull away with the lead, the Matadors slipped through a crack in their defense; unable to catch up and tackle the senior quarterback Justin Chaahoub, Monta Vista completed a 71-yard rushing touchdown. After missing their PAT, the score was held to 14-6 going into the second half.
In the latter half of the game, the Falcons’ defense came up with a number of stops. Senior defensive back Zack Thawer and junior outside backer Pahulu stepped up to block out opposing defenders, creating running opportunities and scoring kicks on offense.
On the other side of the ball, Monta Vista’s defensive pressure persisted with an early tackle at the 25-yard line, pushing the Falcons back and preventing them from getting a first down. Despite the Matadors suppressing the offensive rhythm, the Falcons broke free once again. With five minutes left to go in the third quarter, Pak broke free, sprinting down the sideline past defenders and all the way to the house for a 74-yard rushing touchdown.
“Brennan fought through a lot. He was getting hit on almost every play but kept going and making big plays,” Hulme said.
Mancuso converted another PAT to bring the score up to 21-6, placing the Falcons comfortably in the lead.
Learning from their mistakes, the Falcons were careful not to let down on defense and kept the lead throughout the end of the quarter. To close the third quarter, the Falcons executed a 45-yard pick-six from Hulme as a safety, soaring through the field to secure a massive lead of 28-6.
“Anson’s pick-six was massive — especially with so many starters tired, it gave us momentum and a break for the offense,” said Pak.
With hopes high and momentum flying, Saratoga started the fourth quarter high with two early tackles within two minutes. Ending the Matadors final hopes, the Falcons sealed the game with a 32-yard field goal from Mancuso and another interception from Hulme, cementing a 31-6 win.
“Our defense really picked it up, and the offense came through when we needed them to. A lot of starters were out, but people stepped up where they needed to, and everyone gave 100%,” Hulme said.
