As the season winds down in late October, the Falcon varsity football team has scored 181 points and conceded 77 over eight games, proving their strength both offensively and defensively. These include a dominant 35-0 Homecoming game win on Oct. 17 over Cupertino and a 42-14 road win over Mills on Oct. 24.
With a 4-2 record in the Peninsula-Lake League and a 6-2 overall record, they stand third place behind 5-1 MacDonald and 5-0 Jefferson. The Falcons can attribute at least some of their success to a new set of faces on their roster: seniors Cole Mason, Zack Thawer and Rishaun Sharma.
Mason, who plays wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense, decided to join the team this year to play the sport with his friends. Mason considered joining the team in his sophomore year, but decided not to due to the risk of injury and other commitments.
Mason also runs the school’s track team, participating in the 300-meter and 100-meter hurdles events. Even with conditioning from track, he finds football to be a lot more physically demanding.
Mason’s season, though, has not been easy. He dealt with injuries such as a punctured lung after a head-on tackle.
However, he said the teamwork and energy each of his teammates bring has continued to drive him on to improve individually.
For Sharma, this year marks a return to football. In his sophomore year, Sharma decided to stop playing before the season fully started due to several other commitments he wanted to pursue.
“I honestly felt a lot of shame about quitting that year, so I wanted to come back and redeem myself,” Sharma said. “I wanted to earn back some respect from both my teammates and myself.”
Like Mason, Sharma, who plays defensive end and defensive tackle, has been part of track and field for the past three years, participating in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, long jump and high jump as well as discus and shot put on the throwing team. Sharma has also been into weight lifting since his freshman year, which contributes a lot to his size and strength on the field.
In football practice, Sharma enjoys scrimmages where he is able to work on pass rush moves that he might use in a game. He believes this makes football practice less repetitive in comparison to track, where he is running, jumping or throwing repeatedly. While he feels football conditioning is similar to that of track, he finds the performance aspect to be different.
“How you perform in a meet or track is entirely determined on your own efforts, but in football you have your teammates as a safety net,” Sharma said.
His contributions have been crucial this season, and he is averaging two tackles per game.
“My favorite moment this season was my first sack against Prospect High, where I played as defensive end. I was unsure if I could perform in the new position, but that play really proved it for me,” Sharma said.
Thawer, who plays cornerback, has had a profound impact on the team. Thawer decided to join the team this year because he wanted to challenge himself with something new, pushing himself both physically and mentally.
“I’ve considered joining in previous years, but either the timing wasn’t right or I wasn’t ready for the commitment,” Thawer said. “This year, I finally felt motivated to go for it.”
Apart from football, Thawer has played soccer and lacrosse since freshman year. For him, football is more physically intense and demands a different kind of teamwork and discipline that isn’t found in soccer or lacrosse.
So far this season, Thawer has an average of 3.75 tackles per game. One of his favorite key moments occurred when he stripped the ball in the endzone against Overfelt, causing a fumble.
Though the team can no longer overcome league-leading Jefferson, Thawer hopes to win the final game at home vs. MacDonald on Nov. 7.
For each of these seniors, regardless of where the Falcons place, the choice to play football has helped them develop both physical strength and fond memories.
“What I enjoy the most about football is the bond you build with teammates,” Thawer said. “You’re pushing through tough moments together.”
