When the Aragon football team entered the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships, they knew they would face challenging opponents. The team ended its season in the semi-finals on Friday, Nov. 23. Despite a loss of 41-7, the Dons finished the season with eight wins to four losses. After months of matches in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL), the dons advanced to CCS after defeating Hillsdale 61-28. The team proceeded to overwhelm Leland High School 35-21 in the first round of the championships a week before facing the Lancers.
On game day, both teams had high hopes of winning and advancing to the finals, but it was the Lancers who first moved the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown by junior running back Landon Baty in the first quarter.
Undeterred, the Dons countered aggressively, and in the second quarter, junior quarterback Nathaniel Blood went 14-of-24 on the passing game for 154 yards. With 3:41 remaining in the first half, Blood threw a fourth down 29 yard touchdown pass to senior running back J.D. Elzie, bringing the dons to a 7-7 tie with the Lancers.
Aragon team captain David Manoa says, “This year we were able to open up a passing game and utilize Aldo [Severson’s]’s talent as wide receiver, and that’s something big that’s happened. Aragon’s not really known for a passing game.”
As the second quarter drew to an end, many thought that the teams would be in for a difficult struggle, but with 1:47 left, the Lancers pulled ahead. The St. Francis quarterback, senior Mike Lauck, made a nine yard run and secured a touchdown bringing the score to 14-7, heading into half time.
At half time, senior wide receiver Aldo Severson, who was sidelined due to a shoulder injury, says, “I would’ve liked to see [us] stop [the Lancers] at the end of the first half to have a tie game going into the third quarter, but, other than that, I think we’ve matched them quite well.” Senior wide receiver Joseph Roias recalls, “We definitely started out by attempting to slow down [the Lancer’s] explosive passing attack by matching them up with our best athletes. Offensively, we felt like we could have success rushing the football with Marcel Jackson and J.D. Elzie, with a strong complimentary passing attack [from] Nat Blood.”
After Aragon’s successes in the first half, St. Francis came back aggressively with 9:01 left in the third quarter and the Lancers made their third touchdown, bringing the score to 21-7. The dons responded with a formidable effort. The Dons completed a 41 yard advance in under 30 seconds game time, beginning with Blood’s 21 yard flea flicker pitch to Elzie and ending with a 20 yard pass to senior wide receiver Isiah Atchan. In the fourth quarter, the Lancers scored another 14 points before the end of the game.
“The score does not indicate how hard fought the game was,” says coach Steven Henderson. “We moved the ball extremely well… They made some stops here and there, and they kept us out of the end zone. But we played at a high level… and I’m very proud of these kids.” “Our goal was to do our best and I felt we did that today,” says Manoa.
During this time, the team had also built strong relationships evident in many games. Blood and Severson have earned a reputation for excellent game play, with the San Mateo Daily Journal dubbing them “Aragon’s dynamic duo.”
“I really built a relationship with [Aldo], so in the game it was just natural. I knew where he was going to be. As we got more through the season, he got more catches and I got more throws,” says Blood.
While the team members are proud of their accomplishments, the effort has especially been rewarding for the team captain, who was recently offered a full scholarship to play football.
Manoa says, “I got offered a full ride scholarship to Hawaii University… It’s always been my dream to play division one football, and Hawaii University gives me that opportunity. My goal is to eventually make it to the NFL.”
With the season at a close, the team has much to reflect on. The team is already looking ahead to advance to the Ocean Division next season.
“The things that I’ll take away from this year are obviously the big wins against Terra Nova and Leland,” says Head Coach Steven Sell. “Anytime you’re practicing on Thanksgiving Day, you’ve had a great season.”
