On Friday, Nov. 3, hundreds of fans crowded at Fitzpatrick Field as SCHS went up against their home-town rival, Wilcox High School. Both teams put up a great fight, but the chargers were able to lead the game all the way through and back, winning with a score of 60-14.
In the beginning of the game, both teams were quiet as it was scoreless. Senior Mitchell Pacheco and junior Hamzah Punjsheri had key stops against the Chargers. Senior Alex Lopez with an additional stop and a five-yard gain supported the Bruins, but it was not enough. The Chargers ended the first quarter 25-0.
The rivalry against SCHS and WHS has been going on for decades. SCHS’s head football coach and Athletic Director Nelson Gifford believes what keeps the rivalry going is the two schools coming together as a whole. He feels that it is a way for the schools to bond and form friendships.
“It’s a community. That’s what it really is,” Gifford said. “It comes down to shared interests, shared pride in the school, the people that attend there, and keeping that connection.”
Similar to Gifford, WHS senior Adrian Salinas feels the rivalry game is important for the community. He also believes this game is an opportunity to get together and have some good times.
“‘Battle of Santa Clara,’ it might not be the best game, but all of Santa Clara shows up, and it’s always fun,” Salinas said.
Seconds remaining before half-time, with the Bruins trailing, senior Jeremiah Karongo made the first touchdown for SCHS, putting the Bruins on the board and ending the half 39-7.
Training and practicing can be beneficial when preparing for any game. SCHS senior Mitchell Pacheco was aware that this was a big game. He and the team, however, practiced the same as they would for any other game.
“We’ve trained for them the same we train for every team,” Pacheco said. “Nothing’s different. Nothing’s changed, maybe just a step up.”
WHS head football coach Paul Rosa is not shy when it comes to preparing for a game. Similar to SCHS, Rosa and the team treated the rivalry game as another game.
“We prepare like any other week,” Rosa said. “Make sure we can have a plan to stop whatever they do well and then do the same thing on the offensive side, see what we can exploit defensively.”
After half-time, with the Bruins still behind the Chargers, senior quarterback Matthew Conklin threw a touchdown pass to senior Jacob Jensen, changing the Bruins score 46-14.
Later in the third quarter, the Bruins were yards away from their third touchdown, but Salinas intercepted in the end zone and ran it down for a 102-yard touchdown, cushioning their score.
Despite the Bruins’ effort, the Chargers were able to scrape up SCHS with a final score of 60-14. Rosa, Salinas and the Charger team put up a tough fight.
Though competitive rivals, the Bruins and the Chargers are one big community who come together and bring in a neighborly environment.
“The game is bigger than the people on the field,” Gifford said. “It’s about the band, it’s the fanbase, the cheer, so it’s really really cool when you can get these two proud communities together in one space.”