Falcon almost upset Fremont after injured-caused forfeit to El Camino

The Falcons offense sets up to play against South San Francisco High.

For the second year in a row, the team made the tough decision to forfeit a game because of numerous injuries and illnesses on their small 25-man roster.

The Falcons led Fremont for most of the game on their home field Oct. 20, but fell 42-36, giving them an 0-5 record in the Peninsula Lake League.

In many ways, it was a moral victory for the team considering they had forfeited a game to El Camino the week before.

“We played really well for the cards that we were dealt with injuries and all, but it was unfortunate that we couldn’t finish the game holding onto the lead,” senior offensive and defensive lineman Aarav Badani said.

Badani said junior quarterback Shane Timmons had a remarkable game making “crazy throws while he was getting taken down to the ground” while senior wide receiver Seth Hulme scored an impressive 97-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

When senior right tackle Justin Schroeder dislocated his knee in the third quarter, Badani said it threw the team off but they pushed through, keeping the lead until near the end of the game.

The team has been struggling with injuries after a 49-28 loss to South San Francisco on Oct. 6, when the varsity football team limped off Benny Pierce Field with only 15 healthy players from the original 25.

“Because we have a small team and athletes [who play both offense and defense], the players have to play a lot and it’s taking a toll on their bodies,” Badani said.

Head coach Steve Matos made the tough decision to forfeit the following game against El Camino on Oct. 14 to give time for the players to recover, willing to risk one game instead of the remaining three they had left against Fremont on Oct. 20, Woodside on Oct. 28 and Lynbrook on Nov. 4.

“Forfeiting has probably been the hardest decision for me, especially since we’re trying to change the football culture [at the school],” Matos said.

The team had suffered four concussions, two ankle injuries, an achilles injury and illness, along with minor injuries disrupting the team’s chemistry for games.

Heavily hit by injuries last fall, the Falcons were also forced to forfeit their last three games.

“Last year was my first year we’d been introduced to the whole forfeit problem and I don’t like it,” Matos said. “I don’t like it at all.”

Low participation has been a large issue for the team, especially coming out of the pandemic, posing a major problem in finding success.

“It comes down to [the number of players],” Matos said. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem with this in future years, but it’s something that we’re [struggling with] right now.”

The team hopes they will be healthy enough to win their remaining games, their hopes set high on senior night against Lynbrook.