The Arcadia High School (AHS) Varsity Football team played their first home game of the 2023-2024 season on Sep. 1. The game ended with a victory for the Apaches of 40-36. 

Students, families, and faculty members gathered around Salter Stadium on Friday evening to cheer on our Apaches for their game against the Wildcats from Brea Olinda High School (BOHS).

“It was really to put points on our board first, but that didn’t really happen, so our defense really had to come through and we stopped them,” said junior Varsity Boys Football Captain Keyonn Chatman when asked what their strategy was going into the game.

With rain coming down hard just a couple hours before the game started at 7 p.m. there were rumors among students that the game could possibly be canceled. Luckily, the game was still able to take place despite the bad weather. 

Pre-game, there was a moment of silence for Thomas Hernadez, who unfortunately passed away. Thomas Hernadez was the Assistant Football Coach at AHS for 13 years. 

“He was a pillar in the community,” stated Coach Antoyne Sims, “and his death was unfortunate; it just came out of nowhere and it hit some of the [players] pretty hard.”  

The first couple of plays weren’t looking too good for the Apaches. During many of the plays, BOHS easily got through Arcadia’s defense which allowed player #4, Nathan Aceves of BOHS, to get to the 35 yard line. In the first quarter with nine more minutes on the clock, BOHS scored their first touchdown—making the Wildcats in the lead 0-6.

The Apaches quickly turned the tide in the second quarter, with a incredible touchdown by #3 Chatman. Chatman was able to break free from two defenders, dodge, speeding past #22,  Micah Pedraza of BOHS, and scored another yard touchdown.

Things were starting to look up for Arcadia when senior Kayla Ibrahim scored a field goal putting Arcadia in the lead 7-6. The Apaches and Wildcats had strong performances in the second and third quarters, resulting in additional touchdowns for both teams, leaving the score at 20-13. With less than 15 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter, Chatman scored Arcadia yet another touchdown, putting Arcadia in the lead 36-39. Enthusiastic and excited energy filled the air and the Apaches won with a final score of 40-36. The game ended with Pep Squad singing our Alma Mater. 

“The last drive, because we had 1 min and we were down by three, but we did that and won,”

stated junior Varsity Boys Football Captain Keyon Mills when asked about what the highlight of the game was.

This game marked a fantastic start to the season for AHS, and we hope that the remainder of the season proceeds just as seamlessly! Go Apaches!

Photo by Ainsley Najafzadeh