The varsity football team battled fiercely but ultimately lost to the Westwood Wolverines, 41-14, on their senior night, Friday, Nov. 14, at Parsons Field.
Before the game, seniors on the football and cheer teams took photos with parents and loved ones, celebrating before their last home game of the season.
The Warriors started strong on defense, with senior defensive end Kameron Williams stopping several Wolverine plays. With neither team allowing the other to score, the score remained 0-0 at the end of the first quarter. Senior captain Will Cavalier said that the Warriors’ pregame strategy was to shut down the Wolverines’ offense.
“Our strategy before the game was to come in and try to shut down their offense, which at the beginning of the game, I thought we did a great job of,” Cavalier said.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Wolverines scored the first touchdown of the game. Then, the Wolverines scored again, making the score 14-0 at halftime.
To start the second half, senior captain and running back B’Call Hooks broke off for a long run, but the Warriors were unable to capitalize, ultimately turning the ball over on downs. Seizing the opportunity, the Wolverines scored another touchdown off a long pass.
The Warriors put up their first points of the game on a touchdown pass caught by Cavalier, bringing the score to 27-6.
At the end of the third quarter, the Wolverines scored another touchdown, widening their lead to 34-6.
Both teams fought hard in the fourth, with the Wolverines reaching the end zone one final time. The Warriors responded with a touchdown minutes before the game ended when senior and captain Nadav Grinstein caught a pass from junior quarterback Brendan Bottiglieri, and the team scored a two-point conversion, making the final score 41-14.
Despite a tough loss for the Warriors, Hooks stayed positive when reflecting on their performance.
“I feel pretty good, although the score doesn’t necessarily reflect that, but we were in it mostly the whole game, I feel like it just got away at the end,” Hooks said.
Head coach Chad Hunte expressed his gratitude and admiration for the team’s hard work, especially from the soon-to-be graduating seniors, in their final home game.
“We put four long years together, and it’s been the greatest joy for me to coach in this group. I love them so much, [I’m] so proud of them and I’m so excited to see what their future holds,” Hunte said. “Whether they were on the field, on the sideline at the time, they all were a huge contribution to this game, to the season and to this program, and I just appreciate that.”
