Two rivals, both vying for the win. It was a competitive game on Oct. 21 at Burroughs High School (BHS). Arcadia High School (AHS) came in strong, scoring the first touchdown but not following far behind, BHS scored the second making the score 6-6.

The referee began with the traditional coin toss to begin the game, and unfortunately, Arcadia didn’t win it and the ball was handed off to BHS. After getting into position, the Apaches kicked the ball off to Burroughs while trying to prevent Burroughs from scoring a touchdown. Unfortunately, Arcadia was unable to stop player number five, Marcus Manahan from the opposing team, the Bulldog’s running back. However, Arcadia made a comeback, scoring the first 30 yard touchdown in the first quarter–making Arcadia in the lead 6-0. 

“Just to go in and dominate [the game] and [to] be physical,” stated wide receiver Derek Ganter Jr. when asked what their strategy was going into the game.

Unfortunately, that victory was short lived when at the start of the second quarter Burroughs scored a running touchdown to the left side of the field. However, things were starting to look up for Arcadia when player #2, Ganter, scored another touchdown. Unfortunately, he was penalized by the referee. At the end of the second quarter, Burroughs was winning 20-6. During the third quarter, Burroughs scored another touchdown pushing them further in the lead. But once again, it was beginning to look optimistic for Arcadia when they scored a 70 yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter, making the score 12-27 and closing the gap. 

Arcadia, through trials and tribulations, valiantly put their best foot forward. However, it came to no avail when Arcadia lost 20-41. 

Following the game, in an interview with sophomore quarterback Keyon Mills asking what he felt he and his team could’ve done differently, he stated, “We could’ve just stayed together and kept on going.”

Overall, although the team didn’t perform as well as they had hoped; they still learned something from this game and the experience that they gained will translate to their game with Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS). 

Ending on a positive note, when asked about how Mills felt about their season so far, he stated “It’s not going as well as we hoped, but there is always something positive to take out of it, and we’re really young, and we’re only going to get better from here.”

Photo courtesy of Alaina Lee and Jodie Tran