Football: Offense, heart leads Falcons to victory over Gilroy

Senior fullback Jerrick Lee, pictured in a game against Burlingame on Sept. 2, rushed for 167 yards and 2 TDs versus Gilroy.

The Falcons looked to get their season going last Friday as they treked the way to Gilroy for their second game. They were able to take down the Mustangs 31-21 for their first win of the season.

In the first quarter, the Falcons started out slow, allowing Gilroy to draw first blood and take the lead 7-0. Perhaps more damaging to the Falcons than the touchdown was an injury sustained during the play. Senior defensive lineman Mitchell Faylor broke his leg and will miss the rest of the season.

“Losing Mitchell was a huge impact because his effort on the team drove us all to play better and it also impacts us on the depth chart for the defensive line,” senior offensive guard Sean Walsh said.

After this injury, the Falcons out-willed the Mustangs and scored 14 unanswered points with touchdowns from running backs sophomore Davis Berryhill and junior Bryson Yates. Gilroy, however, responded with a kick-return touchdown to tie the game. With a touchdown each for Falcon senior fullback Jerrick Lee and Gilroy, the score was tied at halftime 21-21.

In the second half the Falcons played significantly better defense, shutting down Gilroy’s explosive, no-huddle offense and adding 10 points to their score with another touchdown from Lee and a field goal by junior kicker Stephen Ruff, winning the game 31-21.

In terms of improvement from the game against Burlingame, Walsh said that “as team, we improved our offensive scheme and improved our blocking. We also went from playing with nerves to playing football for fun.”

On Sept. 16, the Falcons take on Hollister at home. Hollister will be a better opponent than Burlingame and Gilroy according to the players and coaching staff, so the Falcons are looking to improve from their game against Gilroy.

“Against Hollister, we have to be very sound defensively because their offensive requires us to keep tract of multiple people, since it is an option offense. On offense we need to improve our running game outside the tackle and our passing game,” Walsh said.