On Friday Sep. 6, 2024, the SCHS Bruins faced off against Monte Vista Christian High School for their first home game of the season. With a big win against MacDonald High School the previous week, Santa Clara looked to continue the momentum into this game.
The Bruins began the game with a dream start, forcing a fumble and recovery on the opening kickoff. Those hopes, however, were dashed as the Mustangs played lockdown defense, leading to a fourth and out for SCHS. This set the trend for the first half as the Mustangs charged down the field, scoring a touchdown within the first three minutes of the game.
Highlighted by the performances of quarterback Dominic Pierini, wide receiver Nico Downie and running back Max Torres, MVCHS scored four more touchdowns to make the score 35-0 at halftime. Although looking bleak, head coach Nelson Gifford encouraged his players to keep their heads up.
“Every chance that you get to play football is amazing and incredible,” Gifford said. “What I try to tell them is that irrespective of the score, whether we are up or down, play as hard as you can because it’s a blessing to be out there. They embrace that in everything they do.”
The Bruins came firing out of the locker room, making big plays, including a 35-yard reception by senior Jesse Calderon. Although the drive ended in a fumble through the endzone, resulting in a turnover, SCHS showed they were not going down without a fight.
To end the third quarter, the Bruins made a push up the field, highlighted by a 24-yard run by senior Tayshawn Reed. On the same drive, junior Quinn Raineri forced his way into the endzone to finally put the Bruins on the board. Despite the game ending in a loss, the upcoming bye week will give the Bruins an opportunity to improve.
“We have a young QB, and I feel like he gained a lot of experience from this game,” Calderon said. “On defense, we got woken up because last week we played MacDonald, and they are kind of like a JV team. We have to focus and lock in on defense.”
With a final score of 42-6, SCHS looks to improve their mindset leading into their next game against Terra Nova High School.
“We gotta study and everyone has to focus on their own job. We were focusing on other people too much when we really just have to focus on ourselves,” Calderon said.
Anonymous • Sep 25, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Good article! One quick note; it’s a three-and-out, not a “fourth and out”.