On Aug. 17, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) stands experience thunderous turbulence as the home crowd stomps their feet and students scream as loud as they can. Members of Dogpound, BVH’s student section, roar chant after chant in show of their school spirit. The vast majority of the students in Dogpound display their support by sporting colorful Hawaiian shirts and face paint to match the luau theme, a small group of shirtless male seniors taking it a step further by dressing in coconut bras and body paint.
The shouting is only amplified as the players make their way onto the field, the noise reaching its apex as the Barons explode through the crash banner and huddle centerfield. Amidst the chaos, the Castle Park High (CPH) Trojans run drills in preparation for the battle that they are about to face. As the first team to play BVH in the newly built stadium they are in for a tough fight.
“This game is something that we’ve been waiting for, for a long time and it’s great to see the enthusiasm with Dogpound [and with] old traditions like crash banners and playing the alma mater as [the team] enters the field. It was incredible to see everything and it really brings the school together,” BVH Head football coach and Athletic Director Tyler Arciaga said.
As the National Anthem comes to a close, the seemingly calm atmosphere that shortly blanketed the stadium dissipates and the action rises once more. The game’s first quarter opens with BVH cornerback, far safety and senior Jayden Peterson (5) returning a CPH punt to the 35 yard line. Within two plays, running back, linebacker and senior Caden Ada-Tannehill (22) carries the ball and flies down the open field until he is stopped in close range of the endzone. After a short passing play, the Barons line up at the one yard line. But before the snap, Arciaga hurries to the referee and angrily calls a timeout so that he can get his players to refocus.
“When we get excited from a good play or when we get on a kid for not doing too well, we always do everything with a point. In those instances where we might undersell, it is usually from a lack of concentration from the players,” Arciaga said.
Feeling recuperated after their meeting, the team lines up on the one yard line once more. The referee blows his whistle and the offensive and defensive lines clash in a bout of chaos as Ada-Tannehill runs the ball into the endzone, getting six points on the board for BVH. After BVH scores the kick for a 7-0 lead, wide receiver, safety and senior Austin Snook (14) sacks CPH quarterback and junior Dillan Villarreal (12), momentarily shutting down the opposing offense. Throughout the night, Snook continued to display astute field intelligence, leading in sacks.
“Getting a sack as a smaller guy is fun because they’re a rare occurrence, especially for safeties such as myself. One of the reasons why I was implemented as a pass rusher tonight was because of how much CPH ran the ball,” Snook said.
BVH would deploy Ada-Tannehill once more for another touchdown before having the defense take the field for the last five minutes of the first quarter. Ada-Tannehill would go on to lead the game in touchdowns and statistical success, he attributes his success to the offensive linemen that he had blocking for him.
“I’m thankful for our team’s offensive line, they do all the major work for me,” Ada-Tannehill said. “The quality of our offensive line is the major reason behind the strength and frequency of our performance in the run game tonight.”
The second quarter opens with CPH getting themselves on the scoreboard with a touchdown, then failing to get a two point conversion when their quarterback gets sacked on the attempt. After the opposing touchdown, the Barons put on a faulty drive which results in them punting the ball. The defense dominantly closes out the quarter in plays such as when defensive lineman and seniors Diego Bustamante (51) and Joseph Colmonero (55) sack Villarreal, who was scrambling away to rush the outside zone.
“Against a mobile and run-heavy team like CPH, our defense was forced to adapt to the circumstances in order to find success,” Snook said.
Following the brief halftime show put on by the BVH dance team Get to the Pointe!, both football teams exit the locker rooms and enter the field, ready to continue the game. The third quarter is filled with hardships for BVH in their fight against a near ten minute long drive from CPH. The Trojan’s offensive performance is slowly tearing the once energetic big blue wrecking crew that was the BVH defense, Villarreal especially putting up numbers with his ability to both throw and run the ball with efficiency.
“In the third quarter, we had fallen out of our groove and you could tell that CPH had momentum to push while we didn’t. That successful third quarter allowed them to feel like they were still in the game and it created an energy. Our team can learn a lot from that unsuccessful third quarter,” Arciaga said.
Snook explains how he feels like the first half dominance created a false sense of security within the team, causing them to dilute their intense game play. Agreeing with Arciaga, Snook elaborates on how the discrepancies in the third quarter were acknowledged by the team.
“In the beginning of the second half, the quality of our gameplay had experienced a steep decline. The more relaxed manner in our gameplay resulted in our defensive performance being careless and haphazard, which in turn gave CPH more leeway,” Snook said.
The energy that CPH created shined when their team had a fourth down with one yard to go. Once the ball was snapped, Villarreal turned on the wheels and rushed the outside zone, shedding the tackles of BVH defenders in a show of nimble expertise. The drive continues until CPH makes their way to a 4th down at the goal line, but seconds before the snap, Arciaga furiously calls a time out on the play.
“[In the third quarter] the game became littered with decisions that weren’t the best we could hope for and [that we] should really try and improve on. Those decisions snowballed into bigger issues for our performance,” Arciaga said.
The BVH timeout proves to be unsuccessful, as on the play directly following the time out, CPH gets their second touchdown of the night. Along with the litany of issues that riddled the BVH defense in the third quarter was a lack of professionalism when it came to following rules. Leading up to CPH getting their second score of the game was a string of penalties against BVH which many players and officials of the team felt the need to address.
“There were many times in which we had shot ourselves in the foot by gaining penalties which greatly assisted CPH in obtaining their two touchdowns of the night. That isn’t to say that they didn’t put up a good game, because I feel like they did,” Ada-Tannehill said.
With about three minutes left in the quarter, CPH punts the ball across the field and it is caught and returned by BVH slotback, cornerback and junior Hayden Mcmackin (11). Mcmackin takes off once he has possession, zipping left and right past the opposing defenders until he’s faced with nothing but open field and a dream. Mcmackin turns into a blue and gold blur, successfully taking the ball into the endzone, but multiple flags on the play are called by the referees leaving the crowd dismayed and the touchdown ruled out.
“There is a lot we need to clean up, but even then the more frustrating moments come from when players do things that we can’t coach or even condone. When those things happen it really bothers me,” Arciaga said. “I’ve grown to know that people will throw interceptions, drop balls or miss tackles, but when we make plays that negate touchdowns or make penalties, it’s really frustrating to see as a coach.”
The third quarter ends with the Barons making a late drive into CPH territory, eventually scoring a touchdown and growing BVH’s lead by another seven points, putting the score at 21-12 going into the final quarter of the game where their lead only grows. Within the first two minutes of the last quarter, Ada-Tannehill rushes into CPH’s endzone for another touchdown.
“We came out of the third quarter after CPH’s touchdown and did a great job at responding to them with some plays of our own. Today’s success is really a testament to the players’ willingness to fight their hardest,” Arciaga said.
Now on the field, the BVH defense is back to their early-game quality, fighting harder after their measly third quarter presentation. They quickly turn the ball over to the BVH offense, who, despite having to substitute in a new quarterback, push downfield with a series of rushing attacks that would result in one final touchdown with six minutes of the game left to go.
“The thing about the game of football is that you have these ebbs and flows that occur naturally-recurrent or rhythmical patterns of decline and regrowth. Although there are many metrics and statistics used to measure a game, it is these moments of effortless coherence that aren’t as measurable or predictable,” said Arciaga.
The Baron’s success throughout the game can be accredited less to individual efforts and more to the drive and push from the team as a whole to improve together and lift each other up. Months prior to the game, returners and newcomers alike trained together which has fostered a tighter knit and higher quality of team.
“We have a lot of guys that returned from last year and they’ve all improved and developed together, allowing for not only a higher level of individual play, but more effective team efforts. We have some new guys out there too that are learning and improving with us,” Snook said.
The final six minutes of the game are played to a stalemate, and in the final minute, BVH quarterback and senior Antonio DiStefano (12) takes a knee to end the historic first home game of the 2023-2024 season with a score of 34-12 and a BVH victory.
“There are a lot of great positive [moments] from the game. The student section was great, the band was great, things looked really good and I loved the atmosphere. I am happy that by winning this game, our team was able to give the student body and the community something to root for,” Arciaga said.
