The Carlmont Scots JV boys football team scored five touchdowns in the first half, demolishing the Sequoia Ravens 45-14 in their final game of the season.
After a narrow 26-21 loss last season to the Ravens, the Scots looked to get revenge on their archrivals in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
Following a three-and-out from the Ravens on their opening drive, Carlmont sophomore wide receiver Austin Sotto returned Sequoia’s punt to the Scots’ 40-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Brody Zirelli then proceeded to hand the ball to Sotto and sophomore running back Maximiliano LaVrar four consecutive times. On the fourth of those run plays, LaVrar scored on a 3-yard run to put the Scots up by six. A 2-point conversion by freshman Julius Reyes made the score of the game 8-0 in favor of the Scots.
Both teams traded touchdowns, with Carlmont sophomore wide receiver Patrick Harvey-Guedes scoring on a 30-yard pass from Zirelli. After two missed extra-point tries from each team, the score of the game stood at 14-6 in favor of the Scots.
The Sequoia student section became silent as the Ravens prepared to punt on a fourth down. The kick soared into the air, landing in Sotto’s hands at the 50-yard line. Sotto took off, dodging defender after defender while the Carlmont sideline grew louder with every step he took. As he ran past the last safety into the end zone, the game began to feel increasingly one-sided.
“I think our chemistry was our biggest strength in this game because of all the practices and what we worked on this season,” Sotto said.
The Scots continued to take advantage of their run game to score two more touchdowns and a field goal, giving them a 32-point lead going into the half.
“I don’t think we passed today as much as we should have, but our run game was working, so I trusted my coach and ran the ball,” Zirelli said.
With a commanding lead entering the second half, the Scots slowed down the pace of the game, scoring only one additional touchdown. The game finished with a final score of 45-14, but for the Scots, this game was about more than the points on the scoreboard.
“Last year after they beat us, they took a video of us shaking hands and posted it online to taunt us. But tonight, we came back to get our revenge, and we did exactly that,” LaVar said.
A dominant win against the Ravens improves Carlmont to a 3-2 league record and an 8-2 overall record.
“We started a lot of freshmen last year, but this year there are a lot more sophomores. They’ve been here before, and it shows,” said Daniel Nelson, the Carlmont head coach.
Due to the large number of sophomores on the team, many players are likely to move up to varsity next season. Despite the changes, the team shares a common goal for next season.
“Our goal next year is to go 10-0, and to just grow as a team to get better together,” Zirelli said.
