Lincoln runs Big Bone win streak to 21
SAN JOSE » Before the Big Bone game Thursday, the teams did the traditional pomp and circumstance — dance, breakfast, etc.
A good time was had by all
But the hard question after another terribly onesided Lincoln victory was whether the festivities that accompany the long-running Thanksgiving Day game between San Jose’s oldest public high schools are worth keeping the tradition alive?
Or at least keeping it alive on Thanksgiving?
Lincoln’s 51- 6 victory before a modest crowd at Independence High stretched the Lions’ Big Bone winning streak to 21, a run so long that the oldest players on the field Thursday were about three years from being born the last time San Jose hoisted the trophy.
The lopsided result was a virtual certainty, given what unfolded this fall. In the 24-team Blossom Valley Athletic League, Lincoln (8-2) was the top dog, winning the league’s “A” division ( Mt. Hamilton) for the first time. San Jose (110) was at the bottom, tying for last place in the league’s “C” division ( West Valley).
Calpreps. com’s computer, which predicts high school football results, projected a 62- 0 score Thursday.
The outcome might have been that wide, if not wider, had Lincoln coach Kevin Collins not called on his reserves in the second quarter and after a couple of series in the second half.
Which begs the question: Tradition aside, should these teams continue to play?
“We’ll evaluate it,” Collins said after wrapping up his 26th season. “If they still want to play and we still want to play, I think it’s worth playing. We need to get the alumni more involved. We need to get more San Jose alums here, and our alums, too. The alumni need to get more involved if this is something we’re going to maintain.
“They’re involved in the parties before and the parties after. But we need to see them here in the stands. That would justify keeping the tradition going.”
If not for Big Bone, San Jose’s season would have ended a few weeks ago and Lincoln would have moved on to the Central Coast Section playoffs, something the players earned and desired.
“All of us wanted to go because this was a team that we never really had,” said junior Adam Arenas, a 130-pound wing back who scored a touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 21- 0. “I think we should have, but the Big Bone stays home. What can I say.”
“I wanted to go really bad,” said senior Isaac Juarez, who rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in 13 carries in his final high school game. “I felt it would be a new experience for me. It’s OK, though. This is where it’s at.”
Collins said he would like to do both.
“That’s probably the least politically correct answer,” he said. “I like the tradition, too. It would be nicer if it was more competitive.”
But how can it be more competitive when the teams are competing on different playing fields?
Lincoln has 50-plus players on its roster, more than twice the number San Jose had in uniform, which is not surprising given that Lincoln’s enrollment is over 1,800 while San Jose’s hovers around 1,000.
“Our school has gotten bigger, and their enrollment has gone down,” Collins said. “It’s difficult.”
Lincoln needed only 55 seconds Thursday to score all the points it needed. Gabe Florez did the honors, scoring on a 2-yard run to complete a four- play, 40-yard series set up by Arenas’ long kickoff return.
Juarez’s 42- yard run around the right side stretched the advantage to 14- 0, and Arenas’ 11-yard run made it a three-touchdown game.
“I woke up, ate a good breakfast,” Arenas said. “I had chorizo. That’s my game. Can’t complain about that. Had a burrito today. Came over here, slapped on my music like always, getting hyped. Just being me, the Lion print.”
With football now done, Arenas will move on to wrestling. He is ranked No. 1 in his weight class in CCS.
“I am very excited, actually, because I feel like I have an opportunity to win state this year,” he said.
Xavian Turner’s 43-yard interception return for a touchdown padded the lead to 28- 0 and a safety after an errant snap made it 30- 0 at halftime.
Moses Pena’s 5- yard run in the fourth quarter spoiled the shutout.
“In the back of my head, of course, I was hoping my kids would do their best and we could at least put up a fight and not give up so many points,” said Bruce Jones Jr., who is in his first season as San Jose’s head coach. “That program is good. All I could ask for is my kids show up in the offseason so the game could be better next year.”