Facing the Overfelt Royals in a nonleague contest for the first time in 22 years last Friday, the Falcons failed to sustain their offensive possessions and walked off Benny Pierce Field with a 12-6 loss.
After a combination of passing and rushing from the Falcons’ offense, senior wide receiver Jayden Kwong set the tempo early, rushing 9 yards into with a run to the end zone. The team failed to convert the extra point kick, and this touchdown was their last offensive highlight for the game. Instead, the Falcons leaned heavily on their defense to keep Overfelt in check, but the Royals ultimately broke through.
Key players such as junior quarterback Anson Hulme, and senior running back Brennan Pak struggled to get going. The Royals’ defense piled up 45 tackles, recovered two fumbles, and had 67 total fumble return yards.
Early on in the first quarter, Saratoga also lost one of their key players after senior defensive end/wide receiver Lucas Hawthorne went down with a knee injury, leaving the Falcons shorthanded on both sides of the ball.
Still, the defense persisted, as senior safety Zack Thawer made crucial tackles within the first 30 seconds of the second quarter, keeping overfelt from scoring. After forcing a risky pass on 4th down, junior linebacker Justice Andrews intercepted the ball and ran to Overfelt’s 47-yard line.
Senior guard Anthony Tran took pride in the way the defense held the game close.
“The outside run wasn’t working that well. But the defense showed out today,” Tran said.
The Falcons looked for momentum on offense, but a costly mistake late in the second quarter turned the tide. With just 4.1 seconds left in the half, Saratoga had a turnover on downs, giving the Royals an opportunity to punch in a 3-yard rushing touchdown on the spot. After a failed extra point, both teams entered halftime at 6 points.
Despite the setback, the Falcons came out of the locker room determined.
Fueled by the marching band’s halftime performance and a fired-up sideline, Saratoga opened the second half strong. Senior defensive tackle Daniel Rodriguez made a key stop at the 35-yard line four minutes into the third quarter. The Falcons continued to flex their defense as the game continued: Thawer recovered a fumble by Overfelt at Saratoga’s 26-yard line. However, after pushing to the 42-yard line, the Falcons were forced to punt back to Overfelt.
Other defensive executions involved forcing outs and deflections which kept Overfelt scoreless in the third quarter, hoping to swing momentum back their way.
Junior middle linebacker Motekiai Pahulu said the defense gave the Falcons opportunities.
“Defensively, we were able to stop some of their plays and force them to do something else,” Pahulu said. “And offensively, when we put some of the players in uncomfortable positions, we were able to make a play ourselves.”
But the spark didn’t last. Within two minutes of the fourth quarter, Overfelt ran on three successive downs, reaching the 1-yard line. From there, they scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown. After missing another extra point kick, the score was 12-6.
The Royals built on that momentum with strong plays on both sides of the ball, including deflecting a key Saratoga pass attempt. The Falcons’ final hopes ended in the closing seconds when they turned the ball over, as Overfelt recovered Saratoga’s fumble to go the other way.
Though disappointed, the players came together after the game, with veterans and newcomers alike consoling each other and vowing to bounce back.
“We communicated well. We played as a family, but it just comes down to execution,” Tran said. “It’s one thing we could have done better. We make mistakes. It’s all good. That’s how we learn.”
For head coach Archie Ljepava, the offensive experience was disappointing, but the team did well to move the ball. However, he believes the team had more success on the defensive side of the ball.
“We had a lot of good tackles, so we were able to limit Overfelt’s rushing,” Ljepava said. “It was difficult to block their heavy linebackers, but I think we did the best we could.”
Ljepava attributes the loss the most to careless penalties, saying that the team “shot themselves in the foot,” leading directly to defensive errors. However, Ljepava believes the experience was also good for the team, since they competed against the previous year’s B league winner. Moving forward, he intends to continue improving on what the team does.
“We won’t stray away from what our game plans are. We feel that our systems are in place in a good spot. We just need to perfect them and become more detail oriented,” Ljepava said.
With the team’s loss to Overfelt, their record falls to 2-1.
They face Monta Vista on Sept. 26 in their first league game at home; this loss, while disappointing, will not count toward playoffs. The team hopes to use their bye week to heal injuries and learn from the mistakes of this game.
