Varsity football crushes Pinewood 44-8 in tailgate game on football and cheer senior night
Varsity football destroyed Pinewood 44-8 in their senior night game on Friday.
Before the game, the frosh and sophomores faced off to determine third place in tug-of-war rankings. The sophomores won in 10 seconds. In the following final matchup, the seniors defeated the juniors in 14 seconds, claiming the tug-of-war championship.
Announcer and cross country head coach Jorge Chen recognized cheer seniors Christy Ma, Sophia Bagley, Taylor Summers, Ollie Masoni and Sofia Vasquez-Perez and football seniors Henry Fradin, Jackson Powell and Siddharth Sundar. Each senior walked to the center of the field with their family members and shared their favorite memory from the season.
“It felt very special knowing that I put so much time and dedication into this team for the past three years,” Sophia V. said. “There was so much love and support from every teammate, and we’re such a tight community that being called up tonight meant a lot, not only for me, but knowing how much, as cheerleaders, we’ve come this far.”
Campus Leadership Coalition, the collective of student-run leadership groups, promoted the night as a community-wide celebration, featuring barbecue, face painting and other spirit events. Students across all campuses, faculty and parents came to honor the football and cheerleading seniors.
Captains Jackson and Pedro Castro III (11) met Pinewood’s captains for the coinflip and won, choosing to start with the ball. On the Eagles’ first drive, Jackson advanced into scoring territory with a 25-yard run, but on fourth down, the Eagles lost a fumble after a bad snap. However, the Eagles regained possession after their defense forced an incompletion on fourth down.
“I’m proud because we put up a fight at the start,” linebacker Marloe Sanchez-Taporco (10) said. “Height doesn’t really matter. The key is to not be intimidated and focus on doing your job. We started to shift towards man-on-man, and the other team felt the pressure, and we forced more incompletions.”
Jackson cut outside the tackles for a 10-yard first down run. The Eagles’ next two run plays were stuffed, but a 15-yard offsides penalty set them up at the Panthers’ 28 to end the first quarter.
The Eagles primarily ran the ball to begin the second quarter. Jackson averaged 7.5 yards per carry on the last plays of the drive, ramming through a double team for the Eagles touchdown 6-0. Pinewood defenders tackled Ricardo, stopping his two-point conversion attempt.
The Panthers called three straight screen passes, earning a first down. The Panthers’ quarterback floated a 16-yard slant route, setting Pinewood up at the Harker 20. Defensive lineman Henry Fradin (12) sacked the quarterback for a loss of six, but the Panthers responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass. Pinewood followed up by converting their extra point attempt, putting them up 6-8.
On first-and-10 at the Harker 20, Jackson sped past Pinewood’s defense for a 60-yard touchdown run. Henry, in his first offensive backfield snap, punched it in for a two-point conversion 14-8.
“We have a joke play called Bacon King, and we thought it would be funny to have me run the ball and it worked, so that’s pretty awesome,” Henry said. “I hit their quarterback pretty hard a few times, and they were double-teaming me most of the game, but I still got through it. We’re hoping to go four for four and get a place on a banner in the gym. It’s a great way to go out [as a senior] on a win.”
On the Panthers’ subsequent drive, Pedro picked off a wobbly pass from their quarterback, allowing the Eagles to start at the Panthers’ 16. In a quarterback draw, Ricardo tiptoed down the sideline for another touchdown. Jackson scored the extra 2-point conversion to push the Eagles ahead 22-8. Conerback Mason Brooks (11) and the Eagles’ secondary forced a turnover on downs, and Henry rumbled for a three-yard gain to end the half.
Pinewood opened with the ball to start the second half, but Harker’s defense held firm. After a short five-yard run and a quick first down on a pass, the Panthers’ drive stalled, capped off by a fourth-down pass breakup from Jackson to force a turnover on downs.
Taking over at midfield, Jackson bulldozed through seven different defenders, eventually being tackled for a 24-yard gain. A holding penalty set the Eagles back 15 yards, but Ricardo scrambled for 15 yards on third-and-23 to keep the drive alive. On fourth-and-8, Powell powered through the middle for another first down. Moments later, Ricardo connected with Jackson for a 6-yard touchdown 30-8.
The next Pinewood possession was short-lived, as safety Pedro read the quarterback’s eyes and picked off a pass on the first play of the drive. One play later, Jackson sprinted 32 yards to tally another touchdown and followed up with a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 38-8. The Panthers advanced to the Harker 29 with three straight completions to end the quarter.
“I’ve only been on the team for two years, but it was still amazing to have recognition and be in front of my friends and family,” Henry said. “When I joined, I wasn’t even watching football. I’ve grown a lot as a player. I came in actually knowing nothing and now I feel like I know something.”
Harker effectively defended Pinewood’s passing in the ensuing drive. Although Pinewood receivers hauled in two completions of over 20 yards, Mason and Marloe made crucial tackles that stopped the Panthers. Jackson broke up a pass on fourth-and-10, returning possession to the Eagles, allowing them to kneel out the clock for the victory.
