EVHS Boys Football
by Aiden Paek and Sean Kim
After weeks of fighting under the Thursday and Friday night lights, the regular season of the East Valley Falcon football team has come to an end. They ended their season with a record of 4 wins, 5 losses, and one tie, which has allowed them to be eligible for the playoffs. The team worked hard during the off-season, even when the weather was scorching hot and the players were exhausted after school. The first game of the season wasn’t the greatest start, but the team bounced back and continued to push through many challenges. Their hard work and dedication paid off as they were able to win against tough opponents, and they are planning on working even harder in the future for next season.
The team had phenomenal teamwork and were very supportive of each other, as well as showing great sportsmanship towards other schools. Although the varsity seniors from last year who were powerhouses on the field have graduated, the new players had great stats and our captains, #8 Ramon Palafox, #77 Alex Arreola, #4 Giovanni Torres, and #74 David Solano led the way. These seniors have shown great leadership towards the team and were a huge part of the team’s success in forging a renewed varsity. Coaches Luis, Salazar, Franco, Quinney, and Pumba pushed the players hard during practice and scrimmages so they could apply their skills to actual games, and they drilled many plays so the team had the tools needed to defeat other schools. The first few games were challenging as the team went against Division 2 schools, but this experience helped the team improve and plan for the league games.
Coming out of the bye-week, the first league game wasn’t the best. The Falcons suffered a tough loss against Teach Tech with the final score of 44-28. Teach Tech's offense was able to get through the defense and scored many points against the Falcons. This has motivated all the players to work on their defensive skills and their hard work during practices paid off against the second league game versus VOCES.
The game against VOCES was very close as the teams went head to head. At halftime, the Falcons were behind a few points and received a motivational talk from the coaches. Once the third quarter began, they kept up with their offense and their defense was able to stop the running plays from VOCES. During the fourth quarter, the Falcons were up 36-30, but VOCES fought back and the score was 44-46. The Falcons were down by 2 points with only 40 seconds left. With a few penalties against our team, there was pressure. 16 seconds left and the ball was snapped. Quarterback Gio Torres threw the ball to the end zone and found wide receiver Zamone Magee, who jumped up to make the catch. The defensive backs in VOCES also jumped in hopes of deflecting the ball, but Zamone was able to complete the catch and put the team ahead 50-46 with 4 seconds left. This was a great comeback for the Falcons, and the final score was 52-46.
Our third league game was our Homecoming Game and Senior Night. The bleachers were fully filled and the crowd was electric. Before the game, everyone showed their appreciation of the seniors by taking pictures and rewarding them with banners and goodies. After honoring the seniors, the Falcons set up against South Los Angeles. The Falcons were able to quickly score the first touchdown and thereafter, their defense was able to keep South LA from scoring any points, especially when Owen Rothenberg was able to intercept a ball in their end zone. During halftime, the Homecoming Parade took place with the fall sports teams. There were police cars and a firetruck going around the field as the crowd cheered. After the halftime show, the Falcons continued to crush South LA and the final score was 34-0. There were fireworks and colored powder thrown all over the place, so it was a fun experience for the students, who were able to celebrate a decisive victory against the Knights.
Our fourth league game was the final game of the Falcons’ regular season. It was an away game versus SOCES and although the Falcons offense and defense worked very hard, we suffered a tough loss of 38-12. Although there was great effort by players like Owen Rothenberg catching for an interception, it was not enough and the Falcons ended the season with a 3-2 record in league and 4-5-1 record overall, which was enough to send us to the post-sr.
We spoke with Owen Rothenberg about his great season as a cornerback:
Q: What was your training like during practices and outside of school?
A: My training is going to practice every single day, not missing any of them and giving it my all.
Q: What is your favorite food to eat to energize before your game?
A: My favorite food to eat before a game is Cane’s and I like to get it on Thursday night. But it’s not good for you to eat all the time.
Q: What was it like being able to catch two interceptions during the season?
A: It was kinda just something that came to me. I saw the ball, caught it, and made a big play. It felt like all the training and practice I had put in really paid off in those moments.
Q: What is your goal for the next season?
A: Next season, hopefully I’m the number one corner on the team and we can win a championship.
Q: Who inspires you to push through your limits?
A: Coach Salazar taught me everything I knew about the position: his 2013 highlights on Hudl are impressive and immaculate. You can see him jumping over receivers and intercepting balls just like me—and you can also admire his beautiful mustache and balding head!
The Falcons were able to win against VOCES in the first playoff round, becoming the second team in our school’s history to win a playoff game. The defense was able to stop the VOCES’s running back and the final score was 28-22, sending the Falcons to the semi-finals against SOCES.
The SOCES game was very head-to-head. Even with the hard rain pouring, the Falcons were able to get a safety, score touchdowns, and stop SOCES’ offense, but with some mistakes and missed opportunities, the Falcons fell short of victory with a final score of 20-32. Although this was the end of the Falcons’ season, the team feels they learned valuable lessons that will lead to even greater success next year.
Here are some of the impressive stats of our football players:
Running Back/Wide Receiver/Linebacker Ramon Palafox led the team with total of 21 touchdowns and had an average of 64.8 rushing yards per game
Tight End, Wide Receiver, Defensive Tackle Zamone Magee led the team with an average of 7 tackles per game with total of 6 sacks
Cornerback/Wide Receiver Owen Rothenberg led the team with total of 2 interceptions
At the end of the season, we caught with the coaches and some of the players to ask them about their experiences:
Q: What is the goal for the team next season?
Coach Quinney: To improve enough in numbers and skillset to compete as an 11-man team.
Coach Luis: The goal for the team next year is to be better than this year's team. I want our team to always strive to be better than last year's team. I know we’re losing some important players but that only creates an opportunity for our younger guys to step up and fill the void that will be left by my seniors who are departing.
Q: What type of challenges has the team faced this season?
Ramon Palafox: Some challenges that the team faced were losing people due to grades, being able to have the right mindset when it comes to winning, and creating chemistry with the players.
Q: What goes on in your mind during games?
Marvin Johnson: I need to stay focused and I need to win and score touchdowns.
Francisco Davalos: To make every play, to be in the moment, and make every play a good play.
Q: What are practices like every day?
Timothy Marin: Practice is very difficult but it helps me become disciplined, and I have fun while practicing.
Derrick Gomez: It feels good, just another day with my boys.
Q: How did you guys recover from the first loss?
Alex Arreola: Even though losing the first game of the season was tough, it was a learning experience for the team in general. We got the wake-up call we needed and found things we needed to work on.
Q: How do you handle criticism from the coaches?
Steven Alfaro: I put the criticism from coaches to use and instead of feeling bad about it, I use it to improve.
David Solano: I learn from the criticism and I fix my mistakes.
Q: Who is your biggest sports icon or inspiration, and why?
Zamone Magee: The reason why Aaron Donald is my biggest inspiration is because watching him inspired me to go even harder at my sport and have the goal of making it pro in the NFL.
Santiago Barrera: Maxx Crosby because he is the best.
Q: What does teamwork mean to you, and how do you contribute to a positive team environment?
David Hernandez: I feel like teamwork contributes to everyone working together, and if someone misbehaves, everyone in the team should pay the price. We’re like a family and we should care about each other. To contribute to a positive team environment, you need to tell teammates to come to practice and encourage them.
Q: How can students get on to the football team next year?
Coach Franco: Participate in offseason workouts starting February or join signups at the beginning of the school year. As long as they turn in the physical form and stay committed to the team, you are able to be on the football team.
Coach Luis: Football is a year round sport. We need to continue working even while we’re not in season. We’ll be announcing sign-ups for football and offseason workouts after winter break. We’ll have sign-ups during lunch after winter break in January.
The Falcons are becoming a great team, and they will work hard to become one of the best in the district. Without our smart and athletic players and coaches, this team would not have been nearly as successful. However, the game of football is not just about winning and making cool plays, but it also teaches us teamwork and to be grateful for the efforts of others. In addition, it has given us some great memories in high school. If you want to keep up with the East Valley football team as they continue to improve and get closer to reaching their objectives, you can follow them on Instagram @_eastvalleyfootball_
