Head Coach Steve Sell consults with the varsity team during a break.
“Perseverance. That was good old-fashioned Aragon afternoon power football,” Head Coach Steve Sell says of Aragon’s 27–12 victory over the Woodside Wildcats on Friday. It was a tale of two halves as the Dons ended the first half trailing 12–7 and responded with three unanswered touchdowns and a complete shutdown of the Wildcat offense.
After trading three and outs to start the game, the Dons’ offense methodically drove down the field and scored on a three-yard touchdown run by senior running back Patrick Pauni. The Wildcats came back and capitalized on an Aragon interception with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Woodside’s junior running back David Teu. The Wildcats controlled the momentum, holding the Dons on downs the following series and finding the end zone six plays later on an eight-yard screen pass to senior wide receiver John Bueno. While the Dons continued to move the ball well, their next two drives stalled on a turnover and a punt. The Dons would head into halftime trailing by five.
The Dons jogged onto the field for the second half with some new faces. With star senior running back Keith Samujh already out of the game nursing an injury and Pauni leaving the game with an injury he suffered in the first half, the ball would be placed in the hands of backup running backs junior Jasiah Folauo’o and senior Erik Harden. The injuries would continue to pile up when junior starting tight end Chris Fiscal would leave the game early in the second half with an ankle injury. After holding the Wildcats to a punt on their first possession, the Dons ran behind Folauo’o who would finish the drive with a spin into the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown rush.
The Dons’ defense had a second half response of their own, holding Teu to -6 rushing yards and the Wildcats, who entered the match averaging 50 points per game in the Ocean Division, to zero points in the second half. The Dons put the ball back into the hands of Folauo’o with six consecutive rushes on their ensuing possession, and they capped off the drive with a two-yard dive into the end zone by Folauo’o. Coach Sell, who happened to also be celebrating his birthday, was happy to see the efficient running game. “[They] didn’t skip a beat. This was a game of guys stepping up. Jasiah came in for Keith Samujh and didn’t skip a beat.”
During the next series, the Dons took to the air on a perfect 37-yard strike from senior quarterback Nat Blood to junior wide receiver Kono Filimoehala-Egan that placed the Dons at the Woodside goal line. Blood would have his own number called a couple of plays later on a quarterback sneak up the middle for the one-yard score. The Dons’ defense would continue their dominance when junior James Fononga sacked Woodside junior quarterback Robert Wang the following series. The Dons also held Woodside’s Josh Holman, who was coming off a state record performance with three kickoff return touchdowns as well as a defensive touchdown, to just 24 all-purpose yards.
The Dons stuck to what they have done best to close out the game: power football. The offensive line continued to wear down the Woodside defenders as the Dons repeatedly ran with power formations. Folauo’o would carry eight more times to finish off the victory with 123 yards rushing and two scores. Folauo’o credits his team, saying, “I can’t do it all by myself I’m really small. The [offensive] line, they were doing really well.”
Sell adds, “[It was] a great team win. It’s a great high school football victory where guys come in off the bench and make good plays.”
The win brings the Dons to 5–2 overall and 2–1 in the Ocean Division, keeping them in the hunt for the Division Championship, as well as increasing their odds for the playoffs. The Dons will travel to face off with conference rival Half Moon Bay this Friday at 7 p.m.
