On Thursday last week, the varsity football team competed against Stevens High School at Gus Stadium and despite the efforts made, the team could not prevail and ended up losing 56-0.
photo by Adolph Aguero
CAPTION: Husky football fans line up to show their support and loyalty to the team after a tough loss to Stevens HS with senior Brandon Garcia and senior Matthew Ramirez getting high fives.
In the first half, the Huskies had the opening possession and looked to put points on the board first. The opening drive looked very promising as the Huskies drove down the field. Senior Jesse Vara threw a pass to senior John Duhon for a 20-plus yard gain to get the game going and the crowd into it. But just after that, a costly mistake took place. Vara ran an option play where he had to decide to hand the ball off to the running back or keep it, and he made the right decision by keeping it, but in error in how he handled the ball. He carried the ball loosely which resulted in a fumble thanks to the free safety of Stevens punching the ball out on a tackle. Stevens recovered the fumble inside the ten yard line.
photo by Adolph Aguero
CAPTION: Senior quarterback Jesse Vara hits an open gap on an option play, running for several yards to inside the ten yard line before the ball is dislodged by a Stevens defender and recovered by the Falcons on the opening drive of the game.
After that play took place, the defense came on energized and pumped, looking for a stop and a chance to hit somebody. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. Stevens came onto the field and scored in a hurry, wasting no time to put points on the board.
From that moment on, the Huskies looked drained and no longer played with the same aggression we’ve seen early this season.
“There were a lot of errors and poor execution of our plays,” senior captain and offensive lineman Jay Cruz said of the performance.
The first half was only the beginning of a long, arduous night for the team. The offense was forced to punt the ball several times resulting in Stevens touchdowns due to special teams errors and giving the Falcons a short field. The Huskies defense had no answer for the fast-paced level of play displayed by the Falcons offense. The Falcons scored a dominant 35 points in the first half, with 28 of them coming in the first quarter, and their defense held the Huskies to no points.
photo by Adolph Aguero
CAPTION: Coach Luna talks to the defensive backs while the offense is on the field, trying to help diagnose the issues being exploited by the Stevens offense.
The second half was not much different from the first. The Huskies still made mistakes that could have been avoided on both sides of the ball, while the Falcons continued to put on a clinic, scoring ruthlessly. The final score was 56-0, resulting in a dominant victory for the Stevens Falcons. The Huskies hope to take what they can from the game, and use it to learn from.
“We still have a lot to work on. We still have a lot of improvement that needs to be made. But more importantly, we need to humble ourselves,” senior Corey Williams said.
Right now the Huskies hope to look forward and try to move past this disappointing loss.
This week they take on the Marshall Rams at Gus Stadium this Friday at 7:00, in the oldest rivalry in the district. This is their first game that counts toward their district record, and they hope to win and hold a top spot in the division. Coaches and players ask for Husky fans to continue to show their support no matter the outcome, reminding us that “Husky fight never dies.”