The SPECTRUM

Volume 31

The SPECTRUM

The SPECTRUM

Football teams prepare for next season

Football+teams+prepare+for+next+season
By: Luke Casola’20 and Gautam Natarajan’20
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  • Football players stand with hand over heart before the game. Photo taken by Casey Kim’20/SPECTRUM

  • The cheerleaders help welcome the players onto the field as the game begins. Photo taken by Casey Kim’20/SPECTRUM

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Both the middle school and varsity football teams competed and practiced all season long.  The varsity squad finished with a record of 3-7 (0-4 in league play) and the middle school squad finished with an undefeated record of 8-0.  The young freshman players on the varsity squad have taken a step up in their play and have improved.  Quarterback Jameson Wang ‘20 looks to come back next season with more experience.
“Our team will be more experienced and more mature than last season.  And we are only losing eight seniors.  Even though they have the most experience, we will have many returning juniors that will be seniors next year to be the leaders,” Wang said.
The varsity squad, coached by program head Scot Ruggles, opened the 2016 season with a 2-0 record.  Despite ending the season with a losing record, linebacker Jake Kelly ‘20 said he believes the varsity team will bounce back next season.
“We have a super young team, so all of us are very excited for the future. One of the main problems we had this year was size and inexperience, and that should change next season.  Many of our juniors have been great leaders for us this season, and the transition to seniors should be easy,” Kelly said.
The squad competed against Calabasas on Nov. 11 in the first round of playoffs and lost with a score of 28-56. Next season, the players said that they look to make it farther in the CIF playoffs and their ultimate goal would be to win the CIF Finals.  Many players said that they believe that making it further in playoffs is possible if the team continues to work hard in the upcoming summer.
The two hour practices gave the squad an understanding of the defensive and offensive plays. Running back Cam Jones ‘18 led the team in rushing yards and will be returning next year to make a playoff run as a senior.
Linebacker Vincent Temesvary ‘20 said he believes that this season was a great learning experience as a freshman playing varsity football.
“This season was a learning experience for me and the rest of the freshmen.  While we could have done better, we have a really young team and are looking at building upon this season to push for a deeper playoff run next year,” Temesvary said.
The middle school squad, consisting of seventh and eighth grade students, had a great defensive and offensive season.  The defense gave up only 35 points in eight games and the team scored a total of 358 points all season.  The team averaged almost 45 points per game, which is more than they allowed on defense all season.  According to quarterback Evan Roderick ‘21, the squad favored defense as much or even more than offense.  Many of the team’s points came from forced turnovers and stops on the defensive end.  The squad’s hardwork and dedication paid off this season with a 41-0 win against Chaminade in the championship game on Nov. 5. An appearance in the championship game is not only a great accomplishment, but the team also brought back the title of “Delphic League Champions” to the Middle School.  Roderick expressed his feelings about playing football with his friends and teammates.
“Amazing….nothing like it to win a championship.  We went into the season with a great attitude wanting to win every game, and it happened.  I had a great experience with my friends this season,” Roderick said.

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