VARSITY FOOTBALL WINS
CCS!
by Kylie Gifford
The league season was full
of surprises for the varsity football team, and as the Warriors
headed into the playoffs, no one quite knew what to expect.
At the league game against Bellarmine on November 6, the guys
came out ready and willing to defend their undefeated record.
To the surprise of many, the Bells held their own through the
first half, keeping the game fairly close. But the Warriors stepped
it up in the second half, finishing the game with a convincing
35-14 victory.
The last league game on November 12 against St. Francis brought
an unexpected turn of events for the varsity team. The Lancers
proved to be a worthy opponent, which appeared to be more than
the Warriors had bargained for.
The two teams battled it out under the bright stadium lights as
fans sat on the edge of their seats in excitement, unsure of what
the outcome would be. As a speechless Valley Christian crowd looked
on, the end of the game brought the first loss of the season with
a final score of 14-17. Though their perfect record was gone,
the team knew that they needed to put it behind them and step
it up as playoffs began.
The playoffs began with the game against Palma on November 20.
The game was intense as both teams fought to stay in the competition.
With a little over two minutes left, the Warriors were down, but
there was no reason to worry. As the clock ticked down, a calm
Dante Perez made a 23-yard run to put the ball close to the Palma
end zone, but with little time left, there was a bit of a problem.
The snap was made, and Perez looked up in time to see the answer
waiting in the end zone. He fired the ball into the waiting hands
of Cameron Bradford for the game-winning touchdown, giving the
Warriors a victory of 24-20.
At the semi-final game on November 27, the Warriors got their
chance to redeem themselves against the Lancers, and they made
it count. Proving that the Lancers’ previous victory was
nothing more than a fluke, the unbreakable defense and unstoppable
offense of Valley Christian gave up nothing to their opponent.
In the third quarter, the
Lancers got their chance to recover after a high snap put them
on the Warriors’ 9-yard line, but they just couldn’t
pull it together. After an incompletion, a tackle for a loss,
and a sack by junior A.J. Alvarez, all hope for St. Francis disappeared
as their 37-yard field goal attempt failed.
The Warriors dominated the entire second half, ensuring their
win by preventing any Lancer passes from being completed and keeping
them from gaining another first down. The incredible efforts of
the team resulted in a 21-0 shutout and put them one step closer
to the championship.
The football season had led up to one defining game: the December
3 battle against Los Gatos for the championship. As the Warriors
suited up, some for the last time, there was no doubt of where
the team would be by the end of the game.
By halftime, the Warriors had only scored seven points to the
Wildcats’ fourteen. As a confused and anxious crowd looked
on, the team took the field after the break showing absolutely
no uncertainty.
The second half began with a 36-yard kickoff return by senior
J.R. Adams into Wildcat territory. As senior Kevin Gallardo blocked,
junior Dominique Hunsucker completed a 13-yard run into the end
zone, carrying with him two Wildcat defenders.
The Warriors scored 28 points in the second half, 21 of which
were in the fourth quarter, to which Los Gatos had no answer.
As the clock ran down at the end of the fourth quarter, everyone
knew the game was over. With a 35-14 victory over the Los Gatos
Wildcats, the Warriors ended the 2004 season as CCS Open Division
champions, with a record of 12-1(8-1).
“These guys have etched their mark on Valley Christian football
forever; to win a CCS Open Division Championship, and to go through
the teams that they did, is just incredible,” said varsity
head coach Mike Machado. Congratulations, guys; you earned it!
