MVHS’s varsity football team lost their first home game of the season against Live Oak High School, with a final score of 20-14.
“We battled all night,” head coach Tim Lugo said. “It was a tough football game and they made it hard for us and we made it hard on them, and that’s what good high school football is about.”
A minute of silence was held before kickoff to honor the passing of Lucinda Daniels, the mother of Dillon Daniels, a running back for MVHS who underwent surgery on Thursday after a devastating leg injury during last Friday’s game against the King’s Academy.
The game started with a long drive by the Acorns, with them taking an early 7-0 lead. The rest of the first quarter was uneventful for the Spartans, and the quarter ended with Live Oak still in the lead.
A minute into the second quarter, senior quarterback Kevin Conway completed a 50 yard pass to senior wide receiver Lex Silver for a touchdown. The Spartans scored the extra point attempt and tied the game at 7-7. However, Live Oak quickly retook the lead with a subsequent touchdown and ended the first half 14-7.
The game stalled out early in the second half with each team punting. Junior defensive back Amir Ware intercepted a pass by the Live Oak quarterback, but the momentum turned in favor of the Acorns, when a pass by Conway was intercepted right after MVHS gained possession. Live Oak rushed for a touchdown but missed the extra point, ending the third quarter with a 20-7 lead.
Early into the fourth quarter, the Spartans put together a solid drive following the Live Oak score, and senior running back Arturo Hernandez rushed for a one yard touchdown, making the score 20-14.
With less than four minutes left in the game, the Spartans had a chance to win with a touchdown and extra point, after the Acorns went three and out. The drive started well, with two solid first down passes. Unfortunately for the Spartans, with about a minute left in the game, the drive stalled out, and the last 4th down play was thrown incomplete.
Live Oak took possession and kneeled for the victory, ending the game with a final score of 20-14.
When asked about the challenges of the game, Lugo said that some of the younger offensive linemen had trouble syncing their movement with the rest of the team’s.
“We just [have] to work on our responsibilities on the field and do what our coaches teach us to, and that’s one of the most important things,” senior linebacker Alex Bocchieri said.
Bocchieri said that although the game was a difficult one, the team “played [their] hearts out,” and will use their mistakes as incentive to get better before they match up against Leigh next week.
“We won because we played tonight,” Lugo said. “And to play with the heavy hearts and the adversity we overcome, these kids are superheroes, and I don’t think anybody who’s never been a part of a sports team understands what they went through this week. And to watch them go out and fight and battle the way they did, they’re my heroes.”
