The Dons (4-3 overall, 1-1 Peninsula Athletic League, Ocean Division) faced the Menlo Knights (7-0 overall, 3-0 Peninsula Athletic League) at home on Oct. 15 and fell to the Knights 48-7. The team took an early lead when senior wide receiver and cornerback Alan Tanielu intercepted an attempted pass by Menlo with five minutes left in the first quarter. Tanielu was able to convert that interception, giving Aragon a 7-0 lead.
A strong defensive game caused the Dons to hold onto that lead throughout the first quarter, as they stopped numerous attempted advances by Menlo’s players. But during the second quarter, Menlo scored their first touchdown off a long pass. Despite strong defensive plays and numerous stops by the Dons, the Knights began to pull ahead, scoring four touchdowns in total, which gave them a 28-7 lead over the Dons at halftime.
“We had them on the ropes [early on],’’ said head coach Steve Sell. “We made a couple mistakes, … but they made great plays.”
With seven minutes left in the third quarter, Menlo scored the first of their three touchdowns of the second half.
“It was a tough loss,” said senior fullback and linebacker Solomone Hokafonu. “I know that our team is strong enough to pick it up next week and just try our best and work together.”
Coach Sell echoed a similar sentiment.
“I’m proud of these guys,” he said. “They really hung in there and put up a fight. We need to win the next three games to guarantee us making the playoffs, so I’m looking … forward [to it].”
Football season is coming to a close and Sell’s wish is coming true as the Dons have won one of the three games needed to make the playoffs so far. They defeated Jefferson (3-4 overall, 1-3 PAL) 38-6 on Oct. 22 and will face against Capuchino (4-3 overall, 2-1 Central Coast Section) at home on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. for their next challenge of the season and their second qualifying match.
“[Coming into the season], we wanted to win all our games,” Sell said. “We wanted to win a league championship. We wanted to make the playoffs and we wanted to win a sectional championship.”
Players hoped to use the season to work on themselves and their skills.
“My goals coming into the season were to win as many games as possible and bring the team together,” said junior running back Jared Walsh.
Along the way, the team faced several challenges. Some players began late due to conflicting schedules with the rugby season.
“I think we started off slow,” Sell said. “We were still trying to figure some things out with our personnel and we had some kids coming out late.”
Once the season began, another challenge the team faced was injuries.
“There have been quite a few injuries this year,” said junior center and defensive back Albert Zheng. “It hasn’t set us back too much but it’s been pretty significant.”
Walsh sprained his ankle during the Dons’ game against Woodside (2-4 overall, 1-1 Central Coast Section) on Sept. 28.
“It was hard for a while not being able to play and just having to watch,” Walsh said. “But I still found ways to help the team and support them during games.”
A sense of community has been a motivating factor for the players.
“Bonding with my brothers and my teammates [made me] more excited for the games,” Hokafonu said. “I was motivated for football and it just strengthened me. We’ll all be fighting to find the motivation to come to practice but once we practice, … [we] get along so well that it just makes [it] fun.”
The Dons have had to adjust their roster for some games due to injuries.
“[If key players get injured] we have to bring up players from junior varsity to fill their spots,” Zheng said. “They’ve done pretty well at filling their shoes.”
The team relies on its strengths to prepare for games and have also improved its offense this season.
“Our defense has really been good in the past [and] we’ve solidified that,” Sell said. “Compared to the first two weeks, we’re playing a lot better. Our running game has really developed and our offensive line play has been terrific.”
The Dons will play their final game of the season, the homecoming game, at Hillsdale on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
