The SCHS Bruins played the Saratoga High School Falcons on senior night, November 8, 2024. The Bruins wanted to get back on track after a tough loss at Los Altos High School last week. They set their sights on winning and a fairy tale send-off for their 21 seniors, which they did with a 23–13 win.
Senior wide receiver Jacob Liu had a tough game, but he was glad to be a part of it with his team.
“I feel a lot of different things.” Liu said, “It’s sad because I know it’s my last game.” As someone who has done this for three years, I’m glad I get to do it with the same people. Before the game, senior nosetackle Xzyrus Aimalefoa was feeling a lot of different things.
Aimalefoa said, “I’m scared, sad, and excited all at the same time.” “I can’t wait to play this game because it’s my last as a Cardinal and with all of my brothers on this team. I love all of them.”
No matter how upset they were, the Bruins made time to watch film to get ready for the game. Liu studied very hard for the game in particular.
Liu said, “I know I have to watch a lot of film because even though they’re not in the same league as us, we shouldn’t treat them any less than any other team we’ve been practicing all season.” hey got the ball first and scored the first touchdown of the game with a drive that was heavy on runs.
Their first offensive drive got off to a slow start until senior two-way player Gabe Chavez broke off for a 24-yard run that put them in Falcons territory. At the end of the first quarter, the Bruins made a field goal to make the score 2-2.
Outside linebacker senior Ryan Borromeo stopped Saratoga’s running game with a tackle for loss in the first minute of the second quarter. The rest of the Bruins’ defense then quickly put an end to the attack. The Bruins took a 10–7 lead with Chavez’s 57-yard touchdown run at the end of their next scoring drive.
Their next offensive play, a 41-yard pass led to a touchdown, but the extra point was missed, making the score 10–13. The team was down at halftime, but head coach Nelson Gifford could tell they were excited to start the second half.
“There were many chances to be negative and angry, but I didn’t see any of that.” “In the second half, I saw guys who were excited to get out and play,” Gifford said.
Senior running back Jayden Forks led SCHS’s first drive after the half. He was able to get the Bruins into Falcon territory more than once during the game. Gifford liked Forks’ plays and what drove him.
Gifford said, “He played with tenacity and ferocity that we haven’t seen from him before. His determination was crazy.” “He was the one person who made this team move forward hundred percent.”
Kalani Tesimale, the sophomore quarterback, threw a touchdown pass to Liu from 28 yards out on the first play of the second half. After playing for the junior varsity team for six weeks, this was Tesimale’s first game back on the varsity team. Tesimale is getting better because of the quarterback’s time on the junior varsity team, according to Gifford.
“I think the time he spent on JV gave him the kind of repetitions he needed.” She also said, “It gave him more room to grow.”
The Bruins’ defense stayed strong when they were ahead 17–13, forcing the Falcons to punt. In the game, Chavez ran for 34 yards and got past the defenders. The Bruins were on the one-yard line after a few more runs.
A senior defensive lineman named Diego Perez broke through the defense for a touchdown that made the score 23–13 in favor of SCHS. The Bruins were ahead by 10 points even though they missed the extra point.
The Bruins needed a first down to make sure they would win late in the fourth quarter. Tesimale quickly threw the ball to senior wide receiver Hamzah Punjsheri, who got a first down that sealed the win. Gifford was proud of his seniors because they won their last high school football game 23–13.
“You don’t always get the chance to win your last game, so seeing all of the seniors have a chance to make a positive difference in the game and do just that, yeah, that’s what you hope for,” Gifford said.
