The Falcons took down Cupertino in their homecoming game on Oct. 18, winning in a 35-0 blowout and maintaining second place in the Peninsula Lake League; the team now has a 3-1 league record and a 5-2 overall record.
Junior captain Anson Hulme took the spotlight throughout the night, finishing with three touchdowns and 139 total rushing yards on 16 carries. Off the ground, he completed three out of 11 passes for 67 yards, connecting with receivers all throughout the game.
He says the team succeeded by not being complacent after each small victory, celebrating touchdowns but quickly moving on to score the next.
“Our next-play mindset, our focus in the moment to prevent penalties and our ability to play like a machine where everyone does their part in making the play work, were the main factors to the win,” Hulme said.
The team’s defensive abilities surfaced early on; in the first two minutes of the game, Cupertino’s quarterback fumbled a pass, allowing junior linebacker Mo Pahulu to intercept the ball on Cupertino’s 41-yard line.
Now on offense, the Falcons pushed heavily on the Pioneers with passes from Hulme to senior wide receiver Jayden Kwong and a 25-yard rush from senior running back Brennan Pak. Pak, one of the team’s captains, kept their momentum boosted as he finished with 81 yards on 13 carries. With five minutes left in the quarter, Hulme rushed two yards for a touchdown, and with a quick PAT from junior kicker Victor Mancuso, the team led 7-0.
With a minute to go for the first quarter, several tackles by Pahulu, Pak and senior defensive end Rishaun Sharma forced Cupertino to turn over possession on downs on the Falcon’s 9-yard line. Additionally, a last-ditch tackle by senior outside linebacker Ian Johnson on Saratoga’s 10-yard line prevented Cupertino from scoring a touchdown.
Heading into the second quarter, the Falcons started from their own 24-yard line, where Hulme found Cupertino’s weakness: their corners were slow and they ran very loose quarters. Taking advantage of the underneath routes available to him and the slow outside corners, he was able to maneuver around to score.
With a 76-yard touchdown from Hulme and another successful PAT from Mancuso, the Falcons widened their lead to 14-0.
On the defensive side, Saratoga continued to shut down Cupertino. After only traveling seven yards starting at the 18-yard line, Cupertino was forced to punt back to the Falcons. Hulme then scored his third touchdown of the night after rushing 7 yards; Mancuso converted his third PAT of the night.
With five minutes to go in the second quarter, the team’s defense continued to dominate when junior linebacker Justice Andrews intercepted a Cupertino pass on the 44-yard line. After Pak rushed for several yards, junior receiver and running back Akiva Goldwasser rushed for a 3-yard touchdown, with Mancuso converting his fourth PAT of the night.
The Falcons didn’t slow down in the second half. After just three downs to begin the third quarter, senior running back Ian Johnson rushed four yards to score his first touchdown of the night; Mancuso converted his fifth PAT and the Falcons led 35-0.
While the Falcons did not score again for the remainder of the game, their defense stayed strong. Near the end of the third quarter, Johnson, now playing as a running back, recovered a fumble by Cupertino on their 44-yard line. The game ended with a Cupertino forfeit in the last minute of the fourth quarter.
For head coach Archie Ljepava, it was vital for the offensive line to make their blocks upfront and to run the ball down hard. While the team struggled to do so at times, he believes they displayed the right resilience to succeed with rushing. As leaders for the homecoming game, Ljepava wanted the seniors in particular to send a message to the crowd.
“We had a lot of our seniors coming out really wanting a big win for homecoming,” Ljepava said. “These guys made their mark today.”
With the team now back and recovered from injury, Ljepava believes the team has the necessary tools to put up big fights in every game to come.
While the Cupertino win was what the team was looking for, Ljepava wants to ensure the team cleans up their blocking, which struggled at times against Cupertino. He also hopes the receivers and offensive linemen can stay more disciplined during games and not let careless mistakes weaken the team.
Saratoga will face Mills on Oct. 24 and Homestead on Oct. 30, both away games, as they prepare for their next home game and senior night on Nov. 7 against MacDonald.
