Last years football team won the Division 2 Championships, making history for the school and bumped themselves into Division 1. Due to this accomplishment, the season brought a lot of weight on the new and returning players and created anticipation for the fans.
This years football team is ranked number 54 in the Los Angeles City Section Division One Football standings.
The season started in August and the team made it to playoffs. The football team had a total of 10 games this season in which they played against other Division 1 high schools such as, Rosemead, Jefferson, Warren, Reseda, Legacy, Bell, Southeast, Roosevelt, Garfield and South Gate.
Their first playoff game was against Dorsey High School on November 2. Unfortunately, they lost 38-0 and that wrapped up the season.
Out of the 10 games, the football team won only 1 against South East High School with a score of 12-0. South East did not score any points throughout their whole season.
Many of the football players were disappointed in the outcome of the season. Earlier this semester, it was reported that the football field had been closed due to new repairs and that may have caused the football team to underperform.
Senior football player, Patrick Poun commented, “The outcome wasn’t as expected. We had high hopes this year but we failed to meet expectations. Our team did the best they could. Playing in a higher division makes us play better competition. The absence of a field shook us deeply. The spirit of us and the home games weren’t alive. Going into a game we always felt rushed and tired”
Not only was their problems due to the absence of the field, but the varsity football team consisted of many new inexperienced players since others graduated last years and many returning ones quit.
“The reason the team underperformed was that there was a lack of players on the team. Another reason was because this was a young team.” Matthew Mendoza, senior football player.
Coach Vince Gallegos has high hopes for the next season.
“This year wasn’t the best year for us but I’m still proud of the guys because they didn’t quit; I just hope they learn from this and continue to not give up when things aren’t going their way.” Coach Vince Gallegos
Now that the football field has been repaired, the football players can have more practice and build more experiences in order to excel in the next season. He also expects to gain new coaches to help improve the team’s plays.
By Staff Writer