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 Senior wingback Ronald Ng attempts to break free from two pursuing Mustang defenders. Ng was one of the differences in the Cardinals 14-6 victory over the Mustangs on Oct. 2, scoring the decisive touchdown. (Yvette To) |
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. With this mentality, the varsity football team are moving past their losses and improving their skills game after game.
The vigorous practices the team endured leading up to its season opener paid off as they tame the Ponies 14-6 on Oct. 2. The Cardinals entered the game with one thought: focus. According to senior wingback Justin Tsai, the intense concentration within the team minimized the number of the team’s mistakes, which led to zero turnovers.
Another reason for the victory was the team’s burning desire to win. “With two losses in the preseason, and losing to Lincoln consecutively for two years, we definitely needed to beat them and show the league who we are,” senior linebacker Jordan Wan said.
According to Tsai, the team came to the game with the belief that they were going to triumph over Lincoln. “We expected to go in there for the win,” Tsai said. “We expected to score and we expected to stop them.”
The team was able to pound the ball offensively despite the fact that Lincoln should have been able to figure out what plays the Cardinals were running. Comically, the Cardinal’s offense was able to effectively run the same play about six times, gaining positive yardage each time.
In the later stages of the game, Wan was also able to make a clutch first down, which allowed more time for the Cardinals to burn off the clock, which secured the victory.
Senior wingback Ronald Ng was also an important piece of the puzzle in this intense game. With the help of the Cardinal’s offensive line, Ng carried the ball five times in a row, gaining positive yardage every time and eventually scoring a touchdown. “It didn’t matter how many times they gave the ball to me,” Ng said. “I gave it my all and ran every play like it was my last play.”
The victory led to excitement amongst all of the team members. “We feel great!” Ng exclaimed. “We just beat the four-year defending city championships.”
Although the team won, senior offensive lineman Claudio Castro believed the team could have improved on the game. “I’m happy we won, but we could have played better,” Castro said. “We can definitely learn from this so we can truly reach our potential.”
Although the Cardinals trampled Lincoln on their season’s first game, the preseason games started out rough. On Sept. 18 when the team lost to Liberty High School 14-24. However, it was not for the lack of effort. The Cardinals had the skills to win, but due to lack of focus and fumbles, the team was defeated.
Senior offensive Lineman Fernando Zavala believed the Cardinals lost in the errors, not the effort. “Although we played a good offensive and defensive game, we kept turning the ball away,” Zavala said. “I was mad because we could have won the game.”
Despite the fact that the Cardinals made mistakes, fans were given an exciting moment when senior defensive lineman Noah Shaw recovered a fumble on defense and ran the ball all the way down field for a touchdown.
Regardless of the victory, the Cardinals continue to practice with their utmost effort with the goal of winning the city-championships tattooed in their hearts. “Our team has lots of potential,” senior linebacker Aris Chalini said. “We’re athletic, we learn quick and everyone has the desire.”
Even with the team giving its all in practices and in games, it is extremely tough to win a game, let alone the city championship, without a cheering crowd from the school.
Show your support by coming to the Cardinal’s varsity football game at 3 p.m. today at Lowell against the Galileo Lions.
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