by Ryan Eshoff

An up-and-down year for the Valley Christian football program concluded November 10 and 11 against the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs. Needing a win combined to advance to the CCS playoffs, the varsity Warriors traveled to Mitty the night of November 10. A back-and-forth game saw the Monarchs take a four-point lead on a touchdown in the final minutes. Valley’s final drive, led by quarterback Ryan Lowder, was sparked by a series of sensational catches from junior receiver David Henderson, who had caught a 60-yard touchdown pass earlier in the game. Unfortunately, the drive came up just short inside the Mitty 5-yard line, and the Monarchs came away with a 22-18 triumph. Junior safety Eric Sprauve, who made one of the best defensive plays of the game with a punishing tackle on a Mitty fourth-down play, commented that “even though [the team] lost, the way [they] played will definitely ensure that we carry some momentum into next season.” Although they fell just short of a playoff berth with a record of 3-7, the Warriors will return nearly all of their skill position players, including Henderson, junior safety/receiver Tanner Burns, and sophomore running back Daniel Johnson.

The younger teams also found themselves in hard-fought battles against the Monarchs. In a game that featured an outcome very similar to the varsity’s, the Warriors came up just short, falling 21-18. Sophomore quarterback Corey Gambello continued to lead his young team, guiding them to a 4-6 record. Meanwhile, the freshmen also came up short against WCAL power Mitty, losing 28-7 to the rival Monarchs, concluding their season with a solid record of 3-5. With a year of experience under the belts, and bulging with young talent, especially at the varsity level, the Warrior football program is looking up.

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