After almost two years of school activities being temporarily suspended, the varsity football season reunited the Bonita Vista High (BVH) community at their first home game of the season. Major clubs and groups on campus resumed selling concessions as staff, students, and parents filled the stadium while the band and Associated Student Body brought the spirit. The game took place at Southwestern College on Aug. 20, starting at 6:30 p.m. against Morse High (MH). With the stands full of energy, BVH Barons lost with a score of 13 to 38. 

“I feel [the game] was a learning experience more than anything. Not only [have] I learned, [but] the whole team learned a lot,” cornerback and senior Tabari Taper (4) said. “I think [it] was a good eye-opener, so we can see what we can [improve].”

Returning to play was not simple as additional concerns arose for the football team. For Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Tyler Arciaga, he has to consider COVID-19 precautions when creating his roster. For instance, when players are not vaccinated, new problems surface as someone comes into contact with a positive COVID-19 case, which may possibly impact the team as a whole. 

“The biggest thing that I [expect of] the team is that they do what they’re coached to do. They play hard [and] play fast,” Arciaga said. “If they do those things, I’m confident that we’ll have a successful season.”

Quarterback and senior Nathan Warren Roble Cristobal (12) started the game off strong for BVHs Barons, with two back-to-back touchdown passes in the first quarter. The first pass was received by Malosi Iuli (3) followed by a successful point after touchdown (PAT) and the second was caught by Dante Herrero (2), with a no-good PAT.

There was a shift in the game, however, during the second quarter when Roble Cristobal got hit as he threw the ball, leading to an interception. The Barons were unable to score any more points from that moment on, but the Tigers got on the board with a score of 8 to 13. 

“[The interception] did not affect me because I’ve been playing quarterback for a [while] and mistakes happen. I think it did [affect the team] because that’s when the energy died, and everything just snowballed downhill from there,” Roble Cristobal said.

By the end of the game MH had run all but one of their plays, leading to five touchdowns and four successful two-point conversions. Some notable players on MH’s team were senior Josaphate Jordan (5) and junior Damarion Wright (32). According to MaxPreps, Jordan rushed 150 yards with an average of 7.5 yards per carry, resulting in three touchdowns; and Wright rushed 163 yards with an average of 6.8 yards per carry, also resulting in a touchdown. 

“It was mentally tiring. The fact that we couldn’t really stop [the other team when] they were running was really tough and frustrating,” Taper said. 

In order to keep the Barons in a winning position in future games, Arciaga believes that the team needs to “do a better job of responding to adversity and [the] flow of the game.” To accomplish this, Taper believes the team needs to be more accepting of learning new concepts. 

“A key thing is not to sit there and point fingers and say, ‘Hey, I confess it’s their fault,’ [but] point thumbs and say, ‘Hey, what can I do better for the team?’” Arciaga said.