Story by Gavin Bartolome & Owen Hou
Staff Writers
Photos by Emiko Essmiller
Photography Editor
After a dominating start to the game, the Tigers failed to keep up their momentum, losing 7-21 against the Golden Valley Grizzlies on Friday, Sept. 13. In a postgame interview, Head Coach Jeff Chi said, “Golden Valley was a good team. Obviously, they’re 3-0 for a reason…Our goal was to compete with the tougher teams like that and learn from the mistakes we made. Going forward, hopefully we’ll now be better prepared for league and into the playoff games.”
The air was full of anticipation as the Tigers smashed through a poster stating, “This year the Grizzlies went extinct,” which signaled the start of the match. After winning the coin flip, the Grizzlies decided to defer the choice to the Tigers, who then received the ball at the 45-yard line before sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Jones managed to advance the ball a stunning 34 yards, livening the stands with a fiery desire to win. Shortly after, a series of defensive penalties and well-executed running plays brought the Tigers to the 29-yard line. Not failing to keep the momentum going, sophomore quarterback Andrew Nott proceeded to throw a rapid bullet mid-tackle to senior wide receiver Jordan Rodgers, who shrugged off the Grizzlies’ defense and waltzed into the end zone. The play was then followed up by a successful one-point conversion by junior kicker Nicholas Dragonas, bringing the score to 7-0 early on in the game.
For the rest of the first quarter, little progress was made. The Tigers stole the Grizzlies’ ball after a fumble before quickly handing it back in an inaccurate pass. The Grizzlies intercepted the ball, ending the first and leaving the Tigers ahead in a tense battle.
Heading back onto the field to start the second quarter, cracks started to form in the Tigers’ abilities as plays made by the Grizzlies started to slip past the hands of the Tigers’ defense. Using this to their advantage, the Grizzlies made a stunning overhead pass deep into the end zone but failed to complete a two-point conversion to take the lead bringing the score to 7-6.
From that point on, the Tigers began to slow down both offensively and defensively as minor mistakes rippled into devastating consequences repeatedly. A missed snap to Nott, who fumbled the ball, narrowly avoided a turnover but lost the Tigers 15 yards in the process. In the play after, Nott attempted a rushed pass, which led to an interception by the Grizzlies. Wasting no time, the Grizzlies then moved the ball down to the 20-yard line, forcing the Tigers to take a timeout. Unfazed, the Grillies then ran the ball into the end zone along with a successful two-point conversion as the second quarter ended with resounding silence; the score was now 7-14.
The Tigers kicked off to the Grizzlies to start the third quarter, with the Grizzlies starting at the 25-yard line. The Grizzlies continued to make steady progress, eventually running the ball to the 48-yard line before being halted by junior defensive end Noah Keller and senior middle linebacker David Ortega. Right after, the stands went silent as the Grizzlies received a pass that would have put them mere moments from the end zone, but was called just outside the penalty line.
After this play, the Grizzlies continued to apply pressure, but were pushed back by the Tigers’ defense and a 10-yard penalty. The Grizzlies soon began to charge through the defensive wall of the Tigers despite the setbacks, making moderate progress until they reached the 13-yard line. Maintaining their momentum, the Grizzlies again scored on the Tigers, making their third touchdown and bringing the score to 7-21.
The Grizzlies kicked off to the Tigers after this, putting them on the 32-yard line. Things started out smoothly, as the Tigers gained 15 yards after a penalty was called on the defense. The game quickly fell out of control, however, as sophomore wide receiver Toshio Matsuoka almost caught a pass, but barely missed at his fingertips. In dire need of a touchdown and five yards away from the down, the Tigers called a timeout to restrategize. Soon after, the third quarter came to an end.
Anxiety and anticipation hung heavy in the stands as onlookers watched if the Tigers could recover the game. With that, the fourth quarter began and the Tigers received the kick at the 42-yard line. Throughout the last quarter, each team’s defense held strong, preventing any scoring or major progress. Shortly after, the game concluded with a score of 7-21.
The result of the game boiled down to a multitude of small mistakes on the Tigers’ end, resulting in a loss. “We had toughness, there were guys that were injured; our quarterback got knocked down. We just gave up a couple big plays,” junior wide receiver Ethan Cosylion added after the game.
The Tigers will play the Alhambra Moors in an away game on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
