Carlmont High School has not been known for a highly successful football program. This year’s varsity team had a lackluster season, finishing 1-9. However, this year’s junior varsity team had a great season, becoming league champions and ending with a record of 8-2 overall and 6-0 in their league.
So what exactly made the team so good this year? The answer lies in hard work and dedication.
“(The junior varsity team has) non-stop commitment and goes hard in practice every day,” said sophomore Shelby Rebholtz, a former player on the junior varsity team who was moved up to varsity in the middle of the season.
“I’m so proud of these guys, the coaches, everybody that dedicated their time, the parents, all the faculty, everyone that believed in us,” said junior varsity head coach Rene George. “We couldn’t have done it without everybody involved.”
The junior varsity team conditioned and practiced all summer, and came into their season with a great start, winning their first two games and going on to be undefeated in league, which was more than good enough to be named Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) champions.
Their first game against Kings Academy was an astounding 64-0 success, but their second game against Gunn High School was somewhat difficult. “We went in a little cocky at Gunn,” said junior varsity player Chris Jabs. The team fell behind for the majority of the game, but was able to rebound with a strong effort to win in the fourth quarter.
Two disappointing losses followed, but once the team started its official league games, it began a 6-win streak. “It felt great,” said Boston Funk, starting quarterback for the junior varsity team. The team ended up becoming PAL champions as a result of their efforts. “They were successful because they had a good work ethic,” said Jesse Gifford, a running back on the varsity team. “It will lead to great success in the future.”
The junior varsity team also had a new approach to how they played.
“Defensively, we’re very complex in what we do with our coverages, we brought a lot of pressure from our front four guys and kept our linebackers free so they can get out and make plays. Offensively, we’re just a smashmouth team. We just get out, fire off quick, hurt everybody in our way, and just plow right through them,” said George.
Students at the school were definitely excited to see their team do well this season. “I’ll give them props for doing better than Carlmont usually does,” said Brandon Magpayo, a Carlmont sophomore. Junior varsity had a disappointing season last year, with a record of 1-6. “The team had a rough year last year,” said Funk.
With the junior varsity team feeding directly into the varsity team, many students believe that the talent in junior varsity will make for a better varsity team in coming years. Peter Brydon, a sophomore, said, “They’ll actually have a chance at CCS when they’re varsity.”
For students like Samir Hede, this would make the football games more interesting. “I would watch more games if Varsity was better, because they pretty much suck right now,” said Hede.
Coach George was very optimistic about the future of the Carlmont football program: “We turned the program around. Everything’s looking up. It starts on the JV level, and then it goes up to the varsity level. We’re gonna put Carlmont back on the map. We’re here to stay.”
