Sports Editor
The Los Gatos Football team is starting this year’s season strong, with a 3-1 record. The Wildcats won their first non-league game against Soquel, with a score of 45 to 15. Los Gatos held the lead all four quarters, with touchdowns from seniors Scott Garwood and Jaylen Thomas. Next, the Wildcats traveled to Liberty High, prevailing with a dramatic victory. Los Gatos was down 13 points going into the fourth quarter, but they squeezed in two touchdowns, while the defense held off any more success from Liberty’s attack.
Due to a last-minute schedule change, on September 6, The Los Gatos Wildcats invited the Grant Union High School Pacers to Helm Field, hailing all the way from Sacramento. To Mercury News, Pacers’ coach Carl Reed commented on Los Gatos’ effort, “They were hard-nosed, well-disciplined, very impressive. To pick up a game like this on short notice against a defending state champion, you have to have a lot of confidence. They played with amazing confidence.” Los Gatos came out strong with a 14-0 lead. Contributing to this was a 47-yard run by senior Boxer Kobcsak-Yeung, an interception by Garwood, and a touchdown catch by senior Nicolas Hobson. The Wildcats finished the half with a 54-yard drive ending in a 6-yard touchdown pass from senior AJ Minyard to Thomas. Overall, Kobcsak-Yeung rushed 72 yards with 12 carries, and Thomas scored a receiving touchdown, made an interception, and threw a touchdown pass. Sadly, the Wildcats lost, 21-22. While both teams made three touchdowns each, the Pacers lacked a kicker, therefore having to attempt the optional two-point conversion instead of a field goal. On two of three conversion attempts, the Pacers succeeded, setting them only one point ahead of the Wildcats. To Mercury News, in regard to the loss, Coach Mark Krail said “I’m really proud…To hold that team to (22) points is quite an accomplishment. I wish we could’ve scored a few more. We’ve been putting more points on the board but the reason we didn’t tonight is because we didn’t have the ball. They limited the number of snaps we had on offense. But these guys aren’t going to hang their heads. We’re going to get better.”
In week four of the football season, Los Gatos faced Palo Alto in a successful blowout. Supporting students marched into the stands an hour and a half before kickoff, hoping to get good seats in the packed student section. Decked out head to toe in USA paraphernalia, the Cats Corner student section was as rowdy as ever. The Los Gatos Dance Team and the Varsity Cheer team both brought contagious energy to the game, with half-time performances that wowed the stands. Garwood and junior Justin Mazzaferro each contributed two touchdowns. Minyard threw six for six passes for a total of 80 yards, and junior Scotty Brennan went four for four on passes totaling 36 yards. Aurelino Valdez helped push the Wildcats to victory with a recovered fumble. With a final score of 42-0, the Wildcats defeated their long-term rival. Kopcsak-Yeung commented, “The best part about beating a team like Paly is seeing everyone who works so hard at practice all year be able to get in and be part of the win.”
Don’t miss the next home game on September 29!
(Sources: MaxPreps, Mercury News, 49ersCalHighSports)
Categories: School Sports, Sports