The Falcons battled not only Burlingame High in their first round in the CCS playoffs on Nov. 20, but the weather as well as they beat the Panthers 30-20.

The Panthers were unable to contain senior running back Grant Thomas, as he rushed for almost 200 yards in the contest. Thomas played a major role in the team’s offensive strategy that gained them over 330 yards, over 200 of those yards on the ground.

The Panthers drew first blood as they scored on a three-yard run by junior running back Ilan Lesov; they missed the point after, however. The Falcons managed to answer back with a rushing touchdown of their own by Thomas, giving Saratoga a slight edge, 7-6.

The Falcons’ young but aggressive defense prevented the Panthers from scoring and gave the ball back to senior quarterback Vinnie Carstens to work with. Carstens led his team down the field, handing the ball off to sophomore Troy Doles for a 7-yard touchdown, the score now 13-6.

Although Carstens is known for his strong arm, he got his own turn at the running game as the quarterback called his own number and scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving Saratoga 20-6 lead.

The Panthers, however, were not out of the game yet as they scored twice, tying the game at 20-20. Although the momentum changed heavily, the Falcons reclaimed it as they used their running game to set up a field goal. Junior kicker Peter Auvil sailed the ball through the uprightsing , givSaratoga yet again a slight lead, 23-20.

The Falcons’ defense, led by sophomore Brandon Oliveri-O’connor with 11 tackles, came to play the next drive, shutting down any chance of a fourth quarter comeback. To ensure the win, Thomas ran 68 yards for his second touchdown of the night, ending the game with a score of 30-20.

The Falcons look to play the Seaside Spartans in the semifinals of the CCS playoffs on Nov. 27.