As the football season kicks off with competitive games, so does Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Varsity Football team. On Sept. 6, the second game of the season, AHS defeated the Arroyo Knights 13-6.
“It felt like a very personal and emotional game, and it really meant a lot to me because of how hard we worked for this.” said Coach Eric Elias, when asked about how he felt about the team’s first win of the season.
The game started off at a disadvantage for the Apaches as they weren’t able to identify the offensive formations of the Arroyo Knights; it was difficult for AHS to form a plan to combat their strategies. Offensively, AHS only obtained two series in the first quarter, which made it difficult for them to find a rhythm because they didn’t have enough plays; they hadn’t had enough games against the opposing team to understand a certain playstyle, any patterns or methods. At the end of the second quarter, there was a tie of 6-6.
Throughout the game, Coach Elias had to make some adjustments which allowed the players to keep the Knights out of the end zone.
As the game was nearing the final quarter, the tie broke with AHS holding an advantage of 7-6. As the fourth quarter was concluding, with only 30 seconds remaining, AHS proved victorious with a final score of 13-6.
The key player of the game (pointed out by Coach Elias) was running back senior Aaron Morinaga. Some of the other players mentioned who helped to achieve victory were the quarterback junior Jacobi Law, defenses/linebackers junior Timothy (Tim) Morales, and junior Joe Sandavol.
“I felt like it was a personal game, which made me feel like I had to bounce back and get that point for my team. I didn’t make the best play calls at first. After talking to the coaches at halftime, I felt better about calling the plays,” said Morales. “It wasn’t difficult beating Arroyo, just beating the mental challenges was a bit difficult. I felt that I had to prove myself in this game, and when it ended, I felt proud of myself.”
“It was starting off slow at first and a bit tough, but we just bounced back. Starting off, I felt nervous, but once we got to kick off, it began to get exciting. I felt proud of myself for what I did, how I did in the game, and personal goals I set for myself throughout the game,” said Morinaga.
“We started off this game with heavy emotions because the varsity team is still very young with players who’ve never experienced a football game before,” said Coach Elias about the team’s performance. “This is some of their first times’ playing, or they’re freshman, it’s their first year… I can’t thank the other coaches enough for this game, they really helped out a ton, and this was a very emotional match.”
“It’s important that we fight through adversity.” Coach Elias also said.
Practicing everyday, even twice a day, has finally paid off for the AHS Varsity squad. This was an especially satisfying victory, considering how some of the coaches for AHS have previously coached for Arroyo.
