There’s something to be said about high school football games, especially the very first game of the season, where the excitement of the crowd is still fresh and the mood of the players is still hopeful.
Bolsa Grande’s first football game of the school year took place on the gorgeous, golden twilight of September 5th.
They were indistinguishable one from the other, but this fact merely demonstrated the unity that was evident in the team since before the game had even begun.
As my watch struck eight and the Laguna Beach High School’s Breakers stepped onto the field, our Matador men gave a final, thunderous roar and charged towards the center of the field in a carefully practiced formation. The crowd shuffling about restlessly on the stands suddenly rose to meet the starters with cries of frenzied excitement, and the cheerleaders unleashed a series of toe touches and herkies.
The game had begun, and it was a spectacular sight to behold.
As the sun slowly sunk beneath the horizon, the atmosphere on the field became profoundly tense. The anticipation of the players and the fans was almost tangible, and the intensity with which the team’s coaches barked orders was enough to be heard from the other side of the field.
Compared to its initial cheering on the stands, the crowd appeared positively passive by the time the game entered its third quarter. The cheerleaders certainly tried to raise the spirits of the crowd with chirpy chants, but apparently no amount of pom-pom shaking could bring the fans to utter anything other than the occasional “let’s go! Set it up!”
When asked what she would tell the boys if she had the chance to be standing alongside them on the field, Esmeralda Nieves (11) responded, “No matter what, if they’re losing to just, like, try their best and not give up.”
Nieves’ comment mirrored the overall mood of the crowd. Though the fans sitting on the sidelines certainly wanted the boys to try their best, they were apparently unwilling to demonstrate much support for the boys considering most of them sat chatting happily amongst themselves for the majority of the game.
Meanwhile down in the field, each play was set up and executed with ferocity, and each player was willing and ready to crash through his opponent if the need should arise. Needless to say, the football team demonstrated admirable effort and passion throughout the night. The moments of sweet victory were not absent from the night, the first being James Asiasta (12) scoring the first touchdown.
Sadly, however, the team was unsuccessful in securing a win for Bolsa Grande High that night.
The Matador Monthly met with the Varsity Boys’ Football Team Captains and discussed the outcome of the team’s very first game of the school year as well as the future of the team’s season.
When asked how he felt standing on the sidelines, unable to participate because of an injury, Reno Lace (12) responded, “I felt like crying ‘cause I felt like I was letting my team down. I’ve been playing for four years and I really wanted to be able to be out there with the team this year and, like, show what I could do and I just couldn’t keep it in and I ended up crying and it's just frustrating.”
Indeed, Reno Lace’s unnaturally stiff demeanor during the first game betrayed his frustration, for his rams crossed firmly over his chest with his gaze fixed squarely on the action unfolding on the field. Occasionally, he’d pace along the sidelines and turn suddenly to stare longingly at his fellow captains leading the other players through play after play.
One such captain, Jose Andres Arreola (12), had this to say about the team’s chemistry: “We’ve been having trouble, but I mean, overall, as a team, we’ve been like, each week we’ve been coming together as a family. Overall, in my opinion, I think we’ve been getting better each day even though we have injuries and what not. It just takes time to get better.”
Michael Allen (12) supported his fellow captain by adding, “We plan on working hard on and off the field by going one hundred percent all the time and never giving up. One thing that a lot of us need to improve is being able to do a bad play but come back better in the next and fixing the problem. I believe we have to have players to have great things happen, but its only if they’re willing to put in the work.”
After the Matador Monthly revealed that many folks on the stands admitted to not cheering because they felt the game wasn’t going very well, Anthony Porras (12), the fourth captain, assured, “Well, we’re definitely capable of winning some games. We’ve been putting in the work so we just gotta show it on the field overall as a team."
Spoken like true Captains, Arreola’s, Lace’s, Porra’s, and Allen’s comments regarding the team they lead carry valuable insight about the nature of Bolsa Grande’s Varsity Football Team. Our Matador men are undeniably talented and strong athletes, and the incredible amount of time they dedicate to perfecting their game plans and performances during practice proves that they are committed to excellence and improvement achieved through hard work and determination.
As a Matador reading this article, you may ask yourself why it is that Bolsa’s football team has not destroyed every team who has dared to enter our arena. The answer may be found in a surprising source—you. You may be one of those folks up on the stands who grows hoarse from cheering the team on, or you may be one of those inconsiderate few who would rather sneer at our players than demonstrate support for the athletes who engage in the superhuman effort needed to be successful in a sport as physically demanding as football.
If you’re the former, I congratulate you, for you are a pivotal part of the force that drives our football team to not give up, not give in, and not abandon the hope that Bolsa will continuously win those football games.
Standing on the sidelines during that very first game on September 8th, the Matador Monthly witnessed the power and passion of our Boys’ Varsity Football Team.
Now, it’s your turn.
Though Bolsa has a strong football program, you and I must not forget the importance of supporting our Matador men, for often time, our unintelligible chanting and frenzied screaming is just what the players need to remind themselves that when times get tough, the tough get going.