Colorful ribbons and posters lined the pool deck, a table with cake, drinks, and other snacks sat up against the wall, and fans filed into the MVHS pool area, filling the bleachers until they were packed to capacity.

Coming into their senior night game against Palo Alto HS, the Matadors knew it would be a tough matchup, having already lost to them 7-17 earlier in the season, but they still came ready to fight.

The team went through their routine warm up, passing shooting, and preparing both mentally and physically to play. The Matadors were still seeking their first league win after a rough season and a league record of 0-12, but nonetheless, the team showed great improvement, moving the ball with more success and improving on defense throughout their season.

“I think where we started and where we are now was a whole different park, so we’re really happy with how we’ve grown through the whole season,” senior Rishi Upadhyay said. “We got better as a team, and we’re really happy with how we played these last couple games.”

Click through the timeline below to see the highlights from the team’s narrow senior night defeat against PAHS.