Football: a destination worth your time

The football team gathers in a huddle on August 25.

The team needs players. Show off your school spirit and Falcon pride by showing up to football practice next year.

This year, the Falcon football team boasted some talented football players as recognized by the local press; among them were junior Keion Ashjaee Marshall, who was nominated for high rushing yardage, and Cooper Call, who caught 227 yards in a victory over Monta Vista.

The Falcons’ 69-0 victory over an admittedly struggling Santa Cruz High team proved they were far from bottom dwellers among schools with smaller teams. Saratoga High, in fact, once had a legendary football pedigree in the Bay Area from the 1960s to the 1990s under legendary coach Benny Pierce (now the namesake of the field). They would regularly clinch championships and stomp other powerhouses of the Bay.

The problem these days is that the team is greatly hindered by a lack of players.

A typical high school varsity football team has 40 to 60 players. Saratoga barely hits 40 players on both varsity and JV combined. Having more players on the roster would make the team much more effective and make playing safer.

The reason: A high school team with a separate squad for offense and defense allows them to have substitutes for every position, ensuring their well-rested players perform at peak capacity throughout the game.

However, when Saratoga’s star players, such as Tevita Pahulu and Marshall, are forced to play on both sides of the ball through grueling downs without any rest, they perform worse due to their exhaustion. This extra playing time also makes them more prone to injuries during and after the match due to prolonged muscle strain and physical impact.

Despite the stigma surrounding football as a dangerous sport, fueled by a large Boston University study on former NFL players, high school football actually has a similar risk of injury compared with other sports. Additionally, high school football is significantly less violent than college or professional football, meaning risk of injury should not deter prospective players from playing.

Despite being on the smaller end in terms of stature, I played quite a bit of football the summer before freshman year with friends. After months of playing, I seriously considered joining the school team but ultimately decided against it due to my egregious lack of catching ability. Nevertheless, I can affirm that it is a very fun sport for individuals of all backgrounds.

Football is indisputably the centerpiece of almost any American high school, and Saratoga is no different. The entire school’s bonding, spirit and sense of community lies in the weekly or biweekly football games each fall that bring us together. Yet, with our team lacking numbers, how can we pride ourselves as one of the top schools in California?

Increasing the size of the football team would heavily bolster the program, giving Falcons a more memorable high school life and a more wholesome finale to their educational journey. In addition to the sport’s fun nature, the benefits of being committed to an intense activity like football include improved work ethic, teamwork, and mental fortuity.

Saratoga is stacked with athletic talent: Our soccer, water polo and track teams feature strong athletes. Once our football team is able to tap into a greater portion of the Saratoga population, we would be able to provide the crucial support needed to deliver more victories.