Football: Overwhelming victory over Santa Clara ensures CCS

As the game ended on Oct. 28, the Falcon players walked off Santa Clara’s field feeling their season had been salvaged. They had just completed a 51-20 blowout against the Bruins.

“We were playing for our lives that game and we knew that everyone had to step up or else our season would be over,” senior wide receiver Kian Ghelichkhani said.

After suffering a heartbreaking 42-41 loss to Mountain View on Oct. 14, the Falcons needed to win one of the next two games in order to qualify for CCS. Their more beatable opponent was Santa Clara with always-tough Los Gatos scheduled for Nov. 4.

“We started making practices more intense and treating them as if they were real games,” senior lineman Alex Yagobi said.

When it came game time against the Bruins, the Falcons scored a touchdown on their first possession with a 3-yard run from senior running back Nolan Chao.

Following the touchdown, the Falcons capitalized on a fumble from Santa Clara and were able to score another touchdown with a 5-yard pass from senior quarterback Will Liddle to junior tight end Tyler Torrens. At the end of the first quarter, the Falcons led 14-0.

The Falcons went on to recover another fumble and kick a 35-yard field goal from junior kicker Quinn Dozier. The Bruins fought and scored their first touchdown, but the Falcons fought back with a touchdown each from Ghelichkhani and Chao to end the first half.

The Falcons continued their relentless attack with two consecutive onside kicks. By taking advantage of this special team’s weakness, according to Yagobi, the Falcons were able to recover the ball both times.

The defense also hit the Bruins hard with a 42-yard Pick-Six from senior cornerback Dalen Denenburg. These plays increased their lead to 51-14.

The Bruins were able to score a touchdown in the final minutes of play, but by then, it was a clear win for the Falcons.

In preparation for the Los Gatos game and CCS later in the month, the Falcons will continue to look at film, practice techniques and develop game plans. Senior offensive guard Allie Liddle is expected to be back in the starting lineup after being out with a staph infection in his leg, but senior defensive lineman Aaron Vogel is still questionable to play.

“We feel like we have a really good shot for CCS,” Yagobi said. “We just need to treat it like any other game and take care of business.”