The MVHS Football team fell short against the Burlingame Panthers 35-44 on senior night during the last home game of the season on Friday, Oct. 31.

“I was ready to fight for all my seniors,” junior wide receiver and defensive back Micah Perkins said, “I’m not a senior, but I know how it feels to lose in that last game, so I was really just trying to do it for them.”

In the first quarter, MVHS struggled to gain yardage and had multiple failed rush attempts. Their defense allowed deep passes into Spartan territory and a Burlingame touchdown.

MVHS improved their performance in the 2nd quarter, with junior running back Dominik Kristof scoring two touchdowns. Despite giving up two more touchdowns to the Panthers, the Spartans stayed close and entered halftime down 20-24.

In the second half, MVHS momentum slowed down after the Spartan defense gave up 2 consecutive touchdowns. MVHS found themselves in a 20-31 deficit by the end of the 3rd quarter.

In the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Ishan Devarapalli threw a tipped pass to Perkins for a touchdown, followed by a rushing touchdown from Kristof after a Burlingame punt. Devarapalli then completed a 2 point conversion to bring the score to 35-38 with just 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.

However, the Spartans were unable to close the gap, and they conceded a touchdown pass and threw an interception shortly after. The Panthers took the knee to end the game 35-44.

The Spartans currently have a record of 2-7, finishing with a home record of 1-4. Their final game of the season will be against Los Altos High in the Pride Bowl on Friday, Nov. 7th.

“You lose some, you win some, and that’s just life, and you got to just take that one to the chin,” Perkins said.