On Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, the SCHS Bruins football team played against the Cupertino Pioneers. After winning last week against Del Mar, Santa Clara hoped to do the same against Cupertino.
SCHS quarterback junior Kalani Tesimale had high hopes going into the game. Tesimale emphasized keeping his head in the game in order to work toward another win.
“Some strategies are staying confident, putting the ball on the lines, trusting my coaches, my linemen and my wide receivers and just be ready,” Tesimale said.
Cupertino started the game with an interception, but the Bruins’ defense shut them down. Tight end and linebacker junior John Jack Edens worked hard on defense, making multiple blocks and helping the defense secure a safety. Other than a couple of missed opportunities to stop the Cupertino offense in earlier plays, Edens believes the Bruins’ defense set the offense up for success.
“We worked really well together today, but probably need to work on finishing those tackles,” Edens said. “We had them in the backfield. Some people slipped off, but we just finished the tackle. It’s wrapping it up and getting them to the ground.”
During the game, Tesimale had multiple plays contributing to the eventual win, including a 55-yard scramble to score a touchdown in the first quarter and making a throw to wide receiver senior Nolan Gallo to score another 59-yard touchdown.
“I feel like my touchdown early in the game, because it was an explosive play and it was early in the game, helped set the tone. It’s something that gave us momentum, and then we didn’t let it up,” Gallo said.
Running back and outside linebacker senior Mason Nguyen helped give the Bruins’ offense a better chance of scoring by getting past the tackle and deflecting a punt in quarter three, putting their offense in a much better position.
Reflecting on the game, head coach Nelson Gifford believes that by putting pressure on Cupertino’s offense and forcing turnovers on almost every drive, the Bruins gained momentum to execute well.
“I think the initial stop that we got on defense was really good,” Gifford said. “The defense I thought played a very big role and played very well, even with the calls against us. They were able to rally and continue to finish, and even the finish here is a good example of that.”
With a final score of 33-7, the Bruins celebrated their victory and look forward to playing their cross-city rivals, the Wilcox Chargers, at their next game.
“We’re going to look at the film. We’re going to see areas where we did well to improve and then look at the opponent that is coming up to determine what we need to focus on for that week,” Gifford said.