Varsity football destroys BASIS 74-6 in season opener
Varsity football secured a 74-6 victory over BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in their first game of the season on Davis Field on Thursday.
BASIS won the coin toss and deferred to receive the ball in the second quarter. As the Bobcats set up for the kick-off, they fumbled the snap. Cornerback Mason Brooks (11) scrambled forward to win possession of the football, and running back Pedro Castro III (11) threw himself past BASIS’ endzone with the ball to bring Harker up 6-0. Captain Jackson Powell (12) charged through the defense to secure the one-point conversion.
With the Eagles now on defense, Jackson delivered a hard tackle, forcing the Bobcats to punt the ball. On the return, Pedro sprinted past defenders before being pulled down at the five yard line. The next play, Jackson received the ball from a handoff and ran into the endzone to score a touchdown, 13-0.
Harker continued to stifle BASIS’ offense with tackles by Pedro and interceptions by cornerback Ricardo Sanchez (10), all preventing the Bobcats from gaining yardage.
On the Eagles’ fourth down and 30 yards at midfield, quarterback Ricardo, now playing quarterback, attempted a 40 yard pass to Jackson, but the ball slipped through his fingers just outside the endzone.
The Bobcats’ offense finally broke through: their running back sprinted 35 yards down the field to score a touchdown, closing the gap to 13-6. A tackle from Jackson prevented BASIS from securing the conversion.
Pedro gained more than 60 yards for Harker through three consecutive runs, before a BASIS defender pulled him down two yards outside the endzone. Ricardo executed a quarterback sneak off the snap for an Eagles touchdown, and Pedro secured the conversion, widening their lead 20-6 to close the first quarter.
BASIS entered the second quarter on offense, but Pedro picked off a pass to bring Harker to the Bobcats’ 34-yard line. Ricardo threw a 30-yard pass to Mason for a touchdown a minute into the second quarter. As Ricardo attempted to rush again for the conversion, BASIS tackled him, keeping the Eagles at 26-6.
The Eagles dominated the match, weaving through the Bobcat defenders to widen their lead. Ricardo scored a pick-six from the 35-yard line for the Eagle’s fifth touchdown, and a long run by Pedro off a snap brought the score to 40-6 with successful conversions. Another long moonball from Ricardo to Mason plus a conversion by Pedro pulled the Eagles to 47-6.
Caren Fradin, mother of Henry Fradin (12), believed the team worked well together to play both offense and defense.
“They’ve been working hard, getting ready for the season,” Fradin said. “They don’t have a lot of subs, which is tiring for them but also really motivates them to do well, and they are hungry to get the win. It was definitely a team effort for this kind of win. The whole team, because they’re all in every play, all showed up and played hard.”
In the third quarter, BASIS started with possession of the ball, but an interception brought the Eagles up 54-6. BASIS went back on offense at their 15-yard line, but Ricardo picked off their pass, rushing towards the thirty yard line. After throwing multiple times for twenty yards, Ricardo rushed into the end zone to increase Harker’s lead 61-6 with three minutes remaining.
The quarter ended without a change to the score, as the Eagles defense locked down the Bobcats, who were unable to carry the ball past the twenty yard line.
BASIS kickstarted the final quarter with a punt, which Pedro caught at the midfield line. He dodged attacks by BASIS, rushing thirty yards total to the 70-yard line. BASIS defenders swarmed Ricardo, but he improvised on the spot, maneuvering past them and backpedaling a few yards before throwing a narrow pass to Mason, who brought the ball in for a sideline catch. Ricardo ran the last few yards and completed the conversion, bringing the score to 67-6.
BASIS regained possession, and during their second down, linebacker Marloe Sanchez-Taporco (10) tackled a BASIS player. The Bobcat’s third attempt to move past the fifteen yard line failed, with Ricardo intercepting the ball, scoring the final touchdown of the game at 74-6.
