Falcons rebound with 2 wins

After their season opening 22-7 win against Hillsdale on Sept. 4, the Falcons lost their next four games against Silver Creek, on Sept. 11, Piedmont Hills, on Sept. 18, Palo Alto, on Oct. 2, and Los Gatos,on Oct. 9, by an average of 16 points, as the defense has struggled to keep up with the hard-hitting offenses of the teams have faced. 

The Falcons, however, broke this streak with a much needed 40-10 Homecoming win against Los Altos High School on Oct. 16, followed by a 35-28 road win against Homestead on Oct. 23. 

“We came into the Los Altos game confident as we always do,” senior wide receiver Vinny Faylor said. “It started in the first half when we scored and we had the momentum throughout the rest of the game.” 

Even though the team played well, there were moments where the players found themselves slipping.

“Coach Tim Lugo said we were playing good in the first half, but not polished,” Faylor said. “We were making a few mistakes, so we came out even harder in the second half; because it was the Homecoming game, we really wanted to make Saratoga and the fan base proud.”

The team’s performance in the game was indicative of its pass-first offense style and the high volume of offensive plays leading to scores that the team is known for. 

Junior quarterback Will Liddle had an outstanding game. He threw for 188 yards and had a QB rating of 107.6. Not to be outdone, Faylor had 92 yards receiving with two touchdowns and senior running back Alex Hawks had 176 yards in rushing and two touchdowns. 

With strong performances by the offense, the Falcons are hoping their momentum will help them succeed in the final three games  at Wilcox on Oct. 30, at home vs. Milpitas on Nov. 6 and at home vs. Fremont on Nov. 13. Although Wilcox and Milpitas are traditional powerhouses in the league, and the Falcons will be underdogs in those games, the Falcons are hoping to qualify for CCS by winning the games leading up to the powerhouse matchups. 

According to Lugo, the Falcons will likely need five season wins to secure a CCS spot. If they win four games, however, they would need Hillsdale to win its league championship to make CCS. 

The team, no matter the outcome, hopes to finish the season strong by playing good football and doing its best. 

“Winning games is tough to do in this sport and our guys understand that,” Lugo said. “Anytime we play well enough to [win a game], we feel pretty good about that.”

With the season in its final stretch, the team is growing  concerned about the health of its players. Some have been ill and some such senior Joseph Eschen are out due to injuries. Lugo said that it’s important that they try to get everyone in a good shape as they head into their final games. 

“We need to play well down the next stretch of games to put us in a position to make CCS and a  place [that] we can feel happy reaching,” Lugo said.