The MVHS varsity football team beat the Burlingame Panthers 49-21 in their first CCS playoff game, advancing them to the next round of the CCS division 4 playoffs. The Spartans are set to take on the Branham Bruins on Friday Nov. 17 at MVHS.
The Spartans offense started the game with two 20 yard rushes and a touchdown by junior Vilami Sekona, putting the Spartans in the lead 7-0. However, the Panthers came back to score a touchdown of their own with a ten yard reception, and tied the score 7-7.
The Panthers’ squib kicked the ball to the Spartans, setting them up on their own 25 yard line on the kick return. With a short reception to Sekona from senior quarterback Kevin Conway on third down, the Spartans were faced with a fourth down.
After a timeout was called by the Spartans, senior running back Arturo Hernandez successfully rushed for a first down. The drive finished with a 59 yard receiving touchdown by senior wide receiver Lex Silver, making the score 14-7.
The Spartans finished the first quarter with an interception caught by Sekona, which he took down the field for a touchdown, increasing the Spartans lead to 21-7.
The Panthers’ offense was unsuccessful at the start of the second quarter, and had multiple penalties and a sack on their first drive.
On the following drive, Hernandez secured the Spartans another successful fourth down conversion with a five yard carry. The Spartans finished the drive with a 30 yard touchdown pass to Silver, making the score 28-7.
The Panthers’ next drive began with a 50 yard run that got their offense to the 11 yard line, and eventually scored their second touchdown of the game, however the Spartans were still in the lead with a score of 28-14.
The Spartans’ offense failed to add their lead on the next drive, after Sekona missed a field goal on fourth down.
The first half finished with a short reception to Hernandez, which was taken up the field for a touchdown, setting the score at 34-14.
“We played with a lot of energy… tried to come out fast and score a lot and it just worked out,” Silver said.
The Panthers offense started the third quarter with a long drive that took up around five minutes of the third quarter. With the offense at the five yard line, the Panthers fumbled the ball, and the Spartans recovered it at the two yard line, swinging the momentum back in the Spartans favor.
The Spartans were able to take the ball down field and Conway would run the ball in for a touchdown, increasing the Spartans lead to 41-14.
On the next drive, the Panthers scored their first touchdown of the second half, making the score 41-21 with 9 minutes left in the game.
On the following kick return, the Panthers attempted an onside kick, which was unsuccessful and recovered by Sekona at the 48 yard line.
With the ball around the 30 yard line, Conway attempted a deep pass in the end zone, but was intercepted by the Panthers with four minutes left in the game. However, the Panthers failed to sustain any momentum and punted the ball back to the Spartans.
The Spartans capped off the game with a final touchdown by junior Daniel Tejada, setting the final score at 49-21 and securing the victory.
Head coach Tim Lugo attributed the win to a great week of practice and said the football team would look to improve on their technique going into the next game.
Looking ahead to next week, Lugo said the team is excited to face an old opponent in the next round of CCS.
“We get Branham [High School] who we lost the semi-finals to [last year],” Lugo said. “That’s what we’re excited about, we get another chance to make it right.”
