Ahead two scores with two minutes to go, it was up to MVHS’ defense to end the game with a stop. Coaches and players were waiting on the sideline, hoping that the game would come to a conclusion, hoping that they could put a W on the calendar and move on. Two sacks supplied by seniors Tom Hansen and Jason Lee later, the Matadors’ stingy defense did just that.
On a night in which defense was the Matador’s forte it was only fitting that the game ended on a sack. The boys in purple and gold racked up 53.0 tackles and took the ball away from the Westmont Warriors four times on their way to a 27-15 at WHS on September 4th. While seniors Anshu Jain and Jason Lee took care of work up front on the D-line, seniors Pranav Iyer and Radwan Hamwi along with junior Mihir Thakar commanded the secondary as they blanketed Westmont High School’s receivers all night, holding them to only one offensive touchdown.
Junior Mihir Thakar forces the first turnover of the game and almost takes it back the distance. Thakar also recovered a fumble later in the first half.
MVHS’ defense played with confidence and fortitude. Iyer and senior Ryan Granzella were forces to be reckoned with as they made tackle after tackle. Most of MVHS’ front seven, including senior Sayi Boddu, called WHS’ linemen “surprisingly easy to handle” when talking amongst each other on the bus ride home. Boddu, a starting end for the team, also said,“ The defense’s success wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for MVHS’ dominance up front.”
Finishing at a record of 3-7 in the higher division last year, the team struggled a lot. However, given the way the boys played on Friday night, it’s safe to say that the move down to a lower division certainly benefits the team from a confidence standpoint.
“I think a win last Friday actually helped us a lot and helped us gain a lot of confidence,” senior Golan Gingold said.
Gingold also mentioned that over the past three years, MVHS’ has lost to WHS’ every time they played each other. However, he thinks that the win over WHS’ on Friday shows a sign of improvement in the team dynamic.
Senior Ryan Granzella collides with one of WHS’ receivers to force an incompletion. Granzella also made significant contributions on offense.
Such improvements were apparent in the barrage of turnovers forced by the MVHS defense. Thakar and Hamwi both snagged an interception apiece while Thakar and Junior Andre Becker recovered a fumble each as well. Every time WHS looked to be in position to get something going on offense, the Matadors clamped down and got the ball back.
Senior Pranav Iyer takes the toss and runs for a solid gain. Although Iyer is on offense during this play, he makes his presence felt mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
Yet, despite a handful of turnovers forced, the Matadors had their fair share of giveaways as well. The team fumbled three times, two of them coming in the first half alone. After the game, head coach Jeff Mueller was generally happy about the team’s performance, but told them that they should have shut WHS’ out. The theme of the post-game pep talk was limiting turnovers and protecting the football.
Apart from the turnovers, MVHS’ offense looked unstoppable. The team accumulated a total of 241 yards from scrimmage and managed 21 points in the first half alone. Senior James Migdal ran for a total of 81 yards and two touchdowns while starting quarterback senior Golan Gingold got the Mats on the scoreboard first with a long 52 yard scamper into the end zone.
Senior James Migdal stumbles across the pylon after making a few defenders miss on the perimeter. That was his first of two touchdowns on the night.
Senior Golan Gingold turns on the jets and outruns everyone on his way to the end zone. The run got MVHS off and running in the first quarter.
The Matadors even got a lift from their usually non-existent passing game. Being a team that relies heavily on running, MVHS could become even more dangerous and balanced offensively. That is, if it gets contributions from the passing game like it did on Friday.
Senior Ryan Granzella hauls in a deep 30 yard bomb from quarterback senior Golan Gingold. This was one of the few passing plays drawn up all game.
The team will face Jefferson High School on Sept. 18 at home at 7:00 p.m.
