By Austin Block
With one game left in the season, the varsity football team is in a precarious position.
Last Fridayâs 32-16 away loss to the undefeated Cathedral Phantoms forces them to win their Friday game against Bishop St. Montgomery, the teamâs last league game, in order to grab a playoff spot. Had the team defeated Cathedral, it would have been assured at least a playoff berth, and a win against Bishop St. Montgomery and a Serra loss to Cathedral would have left it in a three way tie for first place in the Del Rey League.
Now the teamâs playoff fate lies in its hands, and its game this Friday could be its last.
The team has compiled a 6-3 overall record and a 1-2 league record, with its sole league win a 49-6 blowout against St. Bernard.
“To succeed in playoffs, the team needs to really come together and play like a team,” player Noor Fateh â11 said. “Right now, we arenât as cohesive and responsible for one another as we can be, and thatâs hurting us in the long run. We have a very solid team this year and I, myself, as well as others on the team believe that we can really go far once we mesh and play to our full potential.”
The game against Serra was a struggle, after Serra took a 21-0 lead into halftime. The home teamâs lone touchdown was scored by wide receiver Jackson Liguori â10, who caught a Max Heltzer â11 pass and ran down the field to score near the end of the game. The game was fraught with penalties, and the Wolverines committed several mistakes, including a botched extra point and two failed punts. Serra is ranked fifth in the state and 25th in the nation according to MaxPreps.
“We have a legitimate chance to do well in playoffs and we know we can play with anyone,” receiver Greg Comanor â10 said. “We were blown out by Serra, a team now ranked fifth in the state. We were intimidated. But looking back at the film, we know we could play with those guys.”
“We need to learn to be more consistent in the playoffs.,” Comanor said.
