The football team lost 56-33 in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs to Tahquitz High School on Nov. 5. The loss ended the team’s season and brought the squad’s overall record to 5-6.

The team led 14-7 in the first quarter but failed to keep up defensively in the second quarter, when Tahquitz High School scored three touchdowns. Defensive tackle and offensive guard Anthony Holly ’22 said he will miss interacting with his teammates now that the season is over, and he is proud the way the team’s strength when facing adversity this year.

“I am sad that the season is over mainly because I won’t be able to spend as much time with my teammates as during the season,” Holly said. “I am very proud of our team’s tenacity throughout the year, overcoming many injuries and fighting to earn a spot in the playoffs.”

Quarterback Henry Wendorf ’23, who suffered a grade two Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) tear in a 52-13 loss to Pasadena High School on Sep. 17, said he wishes he could have added to the team’s offense during the second half of the season.

“Being injured was a really tough time,” Wendorf said. “Every game I wished I was on the field with my teammates. I wish I could’ve contributed more to the team than I was able to.”

Wendorf said the team plans to use their first round playoff elimination as motivation for offseason improvement and stronger play next fall season.

“The season didn’t go quite as I had hoped, but we are all ready to get back at it this off season and have a better year next year,” Wendorf said. “We have a lot of potential, and I’m looking forward to watching some of the younger guys progress.”

Quarterback and wide-receiver Aidan Greenfield ’24 said the team helped him perform when he was put in as starting quarterback after Wendorf was injured.

“Being thrust into a starting role at [wide-receiver] and then into quarterback in the middle of the year was a wild ride, but the trust my teammates and coaches had in me made my job a whole lot easier and our success a lot greater,” Greenfield said. 

Greenfield said, while the playoff loss cut short the time he wanted to spend with the rest of the team, he feels pleased with the team’s full effort in its last game of the season.

“It was really tough to end the season in the first round,” Greenfield said. “All I wanted to do was continue to battle with all of the guys, especially the seniors. However, we went out having left everything on the field with a small, injury-riddled team, so [I have] absolutely no regrets.”