The Falcons have improved from the previous year with a 10-6 overall record and a 6-6 record in the El Camino League, beating Leland and Carlmont but losing to Sequoia, Gunn and Los Altos.
Because only the top two teams, currently Woodside and Los Altos, will compete at CCS, the third place Falcons seem unlikely to go, especially with a key 15-4 loss against Los Altos on April 24. The team’s only chance depends upon a Los Altos loss to Carlmont or Leland.
“We played pretty [badly], especially our leaders, and they had the ball on our defensive end for probably three quarters of the game,” senior attack Clark Rothenberg said.
Rothenberg attributed the Scotts Valley loss to missing key members and a lack of control over the flow of the ball.
“[In the Scotts Valley game], we were missing [senior midfielders Grant Faylor and Jonathan Walters] and a few other key players,” Rothenberg said. “We were tired and uninspired. We could have killed them [at] full strength.”
On the contrary, a big factor contributing to the team’s recent wins was a mix of inspiration to do well and cooperation as a team, as seen in their win against Carlmont on April 22.
“[In the Carlmont game], we beat them again at home,” Rothenberg said. “We played extremely well and beat them physically, and everyone had a good time.”
Although initially the starting lineup was filled with seniors who were relatively new to the game, Rothenberg said that these players have improved exponentially and helped shape the team into a formidable force.
“The new players have gotten a lot better and improved a lot; the team would be absolutely nothing without them,” Rothenberg said. “If our season schedule flipped around, we would be in playoffs and be a lot more successful because all [the] new guys who played only for a year or have never played before [weren’t that experienced] yet [at the beginning of the season].”
Senior attack Tony Capek said that the improved coaching by new head coach William Kurz and assistant coaches Gino Castillo and Santos Olmos have also improved both the overall skill of the team as well as the team’s 6-15 overall record last year.
“[The coaches] really focused on the fact that we had newer players and really focused on stick skills and more beginner drills,” Capek said. “It really helped the new players learn how to play the sport and now that they know the simple things, we're able to really focus on the big picture and plays.”
Although the team probably will not make CCS, Rothenberg doesn’t regret a single moment of his final season.
“We’ve definitely improved a bunch [over the season],” Rothenberg said. “The new guys have come a long way. Even [Capek] and me who’ve played a lot improved over time. It was a fun season, and I’m not not going to look back.”
The Falcons were scheduled to play their final game against Leland on May 6, but cannot be covered by the Falcon due to newspaper deadlines.