On Oct. 28, the Aragon varsity football team (3-6 overall, 0-5 Peninsula Athletic League)* lost 36-10 to Half Moon Bay (7-2, 3-2 PAL)* at home, their fifth straight defeat. Half Moon Bay immediately put the Dons on their heels with a long touchdown run on their opening drive and never let up, dominating Aragon’s defense on the ground.
“We’ve had a couple rough games but the only thing we can do is bounce back and get in the lab for the next week,” said senior running back Jared Walsh.
There were the numerous onside kicks from Half Moon Bay, who recovered three of their five attempts.
“The onside kicks were killer,” said head coach Steve Sell. “I feel bad for [the defense]. They play hard and they have to immediately go back in again.”
Penalties hampered the team’s momentum as well, elongating Half Moon Bay drives with personal fouls on defense and pushes out of the field goal range on offense.
“I just told them, ‘No more unsportsmanlike penalties'”
“The penalties were a little bit of a buzzkill,” Walsh said. “We had some big plays down the field and [penalties] definitely pulled them back.”
At one point during the fourth quarter, Sell gathered the team to discuss being disciplined and not committing unnecessary fouls.
“I just told them, ‘No more unsportsmanlike penalties,’” Sell said.
Aragon’s stagnant offense also failed to challenge Half Moon Bay throughout much of the game, as the rushing attack couldn’t sustain long drives and early down penalties pushed the offense back even more.
Despite the Dons’ aggression to go for it multiple times on fourth down, they didn’t execute, giving Half Moon Bay’s offense great field position. A blocked punt in the beginning of the third quarter didn’t do the defense any favors.
“Fatigue absolutely contributed to the defense wearing down,” Sell said.
A late fourth quarter touchdown on a catch-and-run down the sidelines by senior wide receiver Keli Langi gave the Dons something to cheer about. But overall, this wasn’t the Dons’ best performance.
“This was our first bad game in a month,” Sell said. “It was just not a good all around game for us.”
“We have to make sure that we’re communicating, both pre-play and during the play”
Though the Dons’ performance has been underwhelming this season, they looked to carry over their success from last year. While the Dons’ main source of offense comes on the ground, especially on early downs, they still have a potent passing attack.
“It’s not all run,” Sell said. “Who’s on your roster and [the game] situation dictate how much we will throw the ball sometimes.”
However, the passing attack suffered a big loss early this season due to senior quarterback Dylan Daniel’s wrist injury, forcing junior Sean Hickey to step into the starting role.
“Sean is a solid quarterback,” said senior receiver and running back Lloyd Walter. “I think going forward, Sean can be a reliable asset for us and can continue to lead the team to where it needs to be.”
Defensively, the Dons rely on getting pressure up front to disrupt the offense. While this puts a lot of pressure on the back end of the defense to stay disciplined, the Dons believe this aggressive type of defense will be beneficial if they communicate.
“We have to make sure that we’re communicating, both pre-play and during the play,” said senior defensive back Georges Saad. “We’re yelling at each other, making sure everybody knows what’s going on.”
Last year, the Dons won CCS in the Ocean Division, a great achievement that also propelled them to the Bay Division and a slate of tougher opponents.
“Everybody has raised their expectations but [we are] quite literally raised to the highest league that we can go to,” said senior linebacker Kitiona Peni.
Because of their previous season, the Dons have a high bar they want to clear this season.
“I think our team is ready for that,” Sell said. “We’ve got really good players and they deserve to be there as much as anybody.”
The Dons know that there is still room to grow and become a better team.
“Last season reassured us that [we] are not at our [maximum] potential,” Walter said. “[If] we fix our technical issues [like] knowing our assignments, not committing penalties [and] stepping the right way [on routes,] we could be a great team.”
The Dons’ final home game will be against Hillsdale (5-4 overall, 3-1 Peninsula-Ocean league) on Nov. 4.
*Records as of Oct. 31
