The Carlmont Scots faced the Menlo Knights for the first time at the homecoming event. The Scots had a 4-2-1 record before the game. Meanwhile, the Knights had a record of 6-1. After losing the game 41-7, Carlmont’s JV football team has a record of 4-3-1.
The Scots struggled with minimal offensive gains in the first half of the game but did well defensively. One referee called a fumble against quarterback Carlo Campobello, although it looked like an attempted pass to the team and coaches. This controversial call led Menlo to score their first touchdown. Following this, the Knights tried to confuse the defense with a 2-point conversion after rushing the touchdown but failed.
Throughout the game, Miradil Seyidzada, the team’s defensive lineman, had multiple sacks behind the line of scrimmage. These impressive plays supported the team defensively. Seyidzada was not the only one to have effective defensive plays. Menlo attempted to dodge his rush while Sebastian Llora, the Scots defensive lineman, surprised the Knights with a sack.
“I felt like we defended overall pretty well. There were just a few plays where they were able to get deep on us,” said Head Coach Daniel Nelson when describing the game.
During the sixth offensive drive, Braeden Kumar, the Scots’ running back, had an excellent return. After a face mask penalty, they added additional yards to get the best starting position on Menlo’s 25-yard line. Kumar had a 7-yard run. Carlmont gambled on a fourth-down pass play, but Campobello was not able to connect with Wineman. This resulted in a turnover on downs.
Kumar said he felt confident going into the game and observed that the Scots’ strong points were forcing Menlo to turn over the ball multiple times.
For most of the game, the Scots were on defense, but that changed during the second half. Elliott Wineman, Carlmont’s wide receiver, intercepted a pass after two penalties against the Scots, which led to a touchdown.
The Scots were finally on the board, and the crowd was encouraging.
On the next defensive play, Kumar fumbled the ball, quickly recovered possession of it, but lost a few yards on the seventh offensive drive. Carlmont punted the ball in an attempt to get the ball away from Menlo’s endzone. Unfortunately, the Knights blocked the punt and recovered the ball in their endzone, scoring their final touchdown and making the point after the touchdown.
That was the last time either team scored in the game.
In the end, the final score was 41-7, which added a loss to the JV team’s record, which is currently 4-3-1. Carlmont did not play at their best, but they still did a good job countering Menlo’s offense. The defensive plays by Seyidzada, along with the offensive plays by Campobello and Wineman, helped throughout the game.
“We definitely could have executed way better and cut the mistakes out. If we do the little things right, it will lead to us having a chance at winning,” Campobello said.
Understanding the opponent and knowing how to counter their offense is essential with football. Practicing different ways to block, tackle, and run multiple plays was vital for this match.
“I was very confident in our guys and our play, but during the game, it shows preparation. That’s my fault, and obviously, I wasn’t able to prepare us enough to be able to handle what was given,” Nelson said.
Overall, Carlmont did an excellent job against Menlo’s offense. The Scots had difficulty getting in an ideal
position to score, and when they did, Menlo’s solid defensive plays turned it around. The score difference may have been drastic, but the team still played well.
