by: Megan Saul

Editor-in-Chief

Just weeks away from the conclusion of the regular season, the Los Gatos High School Varsity Football Team is quickly racking up wins and gaining the recognition it deserves. Following a difficult start to the season with a record of 2-3 after their first five pre-season games, LGHS football turned it around heading into official league play. Only three of the eight games played thus far qualify as league games. These include the matches against Sacred Heart Preparatory, Wilcox High School, and Menlo School. The Wildcats’ record for the league is 3-0, putting them in first place in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division. Senior Kai Jordan shared, “The start of the season was a little rocky with the losses we were taking, but we knew they weren’t big losses. We are all coming together and playing smoother football than at the beginning of the season.” 

The LGHS football team dominated its first league game at Helm Field against Sacred Heart Prep, winning 47-0. Referring to the team’s overall stellar performance, Jordan stated, “We have leaders on both sides of the ball: Callum Schweitzer, Grayson Doslak, Max Thomas, Beau Musser, Gavin Jordan, Hudson Schrader, Tyler Purcell, and Jared Newman. All these guys are leading us, so both sides are playing really well right now.” At halftime, the Wildcats were ahead by 33 points. They maintained this level of play throughout the remainder of the game. During the second half, senior quarterback Liam Sullivan‘s performance continued LG’s control of the game.

The varsity team played one of its biggest rivals, Wilcox High School, on Oct. 17. Although the Wildcats lost to Wilcox High School last year, with a score of 14-19, they were determined not to let that happen again. At Wilcox’s house, the Wildcats won 35-21. Senior Mason Wend explained that “the environment was really cool. They had a bunch of posters about us, and they were definitely talking some smack. So that really got us motivated.” In just the first quarter, LG’s junior Shane Harmer and senior Doslak each ran in for a touchdown. G. Jordan said, “This game was a highlight because it was the first time we won back-to-back games this year, and it was a big league win for us to get.”

On Oct. 25, the Wildcats faced Menlo School. Although they played the game away at 2:00 PM on a Saturday, LG didn’t let this unusual setting get to them. Wend shared, “We were hoping to go in and play fast and physical, and it clearly showed as we came away with a win to keep our goal intact of a league championship. And we were proud that our defense kept a shutout.” The player of the game was Schrader, who had two interceptions, and Get Sports Focus’s Coaching Staff of the Week was the LG coaching staff, led by head coach Mark Krail. LG ultimately won 28-0.

The LGHS Varsity Football Team is eager to compete in CCS and play more competitve private schools. Their next and last league game is against Palo Alto on Nov. 6, so be sure to wish them luck!

(Sources: GetSportsFocus, MaxPreps)