Football action in SC returns after 15 months
SV tops St. Francis in county’s first game during pandemic
SANTA aRUZ >> Roughly a dozen heavily bundled fans lined up along the cyclone fence on Myrtle Street to catch a glimpse of history Thursday night as temperature dipped into the mid-40s. Hundreds of others watched online.
High school football made a triumphant return for the first time in 15 months, as Scotts Valley topped St. Francis 12-0 under the spotlight in an otherwise empty stadium at Santa Cruz High. It was just the second game played in California since the pandemic hit.
Coaches on both sidelines were masked and coordinators
were seated in the bleachers. St. Francis, the home team, brought a drum line and cheerleaders, but the game was otherwise void of the usual sights, sounds and smells associated with Friday night lights. Fans weren’t allowed inside the stadium.
That left the sound of quarterback audibles and the crashing of shoulder pads and helmets to ring loud in the crisp air. And to those involved, that wasn’t at all a bad thing.
“We’re just so happy every
one gave us a chance to be out here to play,” said Scotts Valley lineman Andre Nice. “It’s weird without the fans, it’s weird without the energy, but I think we picked it up and played a really good game.”
The game was everything you’d expect from two teams seeing their first action. Thrust into Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play without a jamboree or a preseason to work out the kinks, play was inconsistent and, at times, downright sloppy.
But they got the game in and that was cause for celebration. When the final horn sounded, the teams, from opposite sides of the field, paused, held their helmets in air and acknowledged their gridiron brethren with a gesture of respect.
Though they’re teenagers, the players knew they were lucky to be playing and that it could all be lost in a second. Every other scheduled SCCAL contest this week was canceled due to testing issues — a couple of schools were unable test and secure results 48 hours ahead of their scheduled games.
Both Scotts Valley and St. Francis had results from multiple completed tests and returned to action in the game they love so greatly.
Both defenses stood out in the first half, when the Falcons failed to capitalize on great field position. The Falcons started three drives in Sharks’ territory and came up empty-handed each time. They missed a pair of short field goals.
“I’d say first-game jitters,” Nice said of the errors. “We haven’t played in a while. We haven’t played in over a year.”
Led by linebacker Nick Erickson, a swarm of Falcons tackled St. Francis running back Pedro Valencia in the end zone for a safety — and the season’s first points — with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The safety was made possible because a play earlier Nice sacked Sharks quarterback Davin Avila for a nine-yard loss at the oneyard line.
Scotts Valley took over at St. Francis’ 45 after Brock Siechen’s 26-yard kickoff return. The Falcons added to their lead after Isaiah Velez capped a eight-play drive with his 2-yard scoring run. Caden Stark’s extrapoint kick made it 9-0.
Though frustrated by the loss, the Sharks kept things in perspective.
“I’m so grateful to be back, honestly,” Avila said. “I din’t think we were going to be here. Things were looking grim at times, but I’m just happy to be back.”
Over the next 10 minutes, St. Francis fumbled but maintained possession, Scotts Valley lost a fumble, St. Francis threw an interception and Scotts Valley threw an interception.
“I had fun and the kids had fun and that’s all that matters,” Falcons coach Louie Walters said. “It’s March. We’ve had two weeks of practice. Both teams played hard. Hats off to St. Francis and we’ll take it.”
Nice made another tackle for a loss of yards late and the Sharks turned the ball over on downs at their own 20-yard line with 2:17 remaining. The Falcons added a 31-yard field goal from Stark with 1:21 left.
Velez finished with 14 carries for a game-high 83 yards rushing; Scotts Valley had 40 carries for 146 yards. Quarterback Aiden Paul was 3-of-12 passing for 44 yards, with two interceptions (Chase Navarro and Garrett Lee).
St. Francis finished with 17 carries for minus-9 yards. Avila was 10-of-19 passing for 40 yards with two interceptions (Siechen and Austyn Crispell). He was sacked three times, twice by Nice.
“Andre Nice,” Walter said of his standout. “Andre Nice wasn’t nice today in a good way.”
Neither team suited up in a locker room, no fans, no snack bar … there were many things that made the experience unique.
“I didn’t notice and I didn’t care,” said Sharks coach John Ausman, noting he was focused on winning the game.
The lack of spectators was nice in some ways, he added.
“Parking!” he blurted. “Parking, parking! Yeah, yeah, yeah.”