The Carlmont Scots varsity football team suffered a disappointing defeat to the Palo Alto Vikings by a score of 36-14 on Sept. 18. At one point in the third quarter, the Scots had cut the game to three points after facing a 17-point deficit, but 19 straight points from the Vikings to end the game rendered their comeback naught.
Carlmont’s varsity head coach Eric Rado believed game awareness was a contributing factor to the loss.
“We need to do a better job knowing our assignments, especially when you’re in a backup role because you never know when your number’s going to be called,” Rado said.
The Scots quickly found themselves in a hole after the first quarter. The Vikings scored a field goal, followed by two touchdowns, which extended their lead to 17-0 after a quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Carlmont brought the game to 17-7 by a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jack Wiessinger to junior wide receiver Luca Byers-Mora. The Scots’ defense held the Vikings to no points the entire quarter and were well on their way to another touchdown when an interception by the Vikings in the end zone marked the end of a promising drive.
Still, the Scots held the momentum going into halftime and began the third quarter strong. Junior running back Luke Nessel’s touchdown run from a few yards out cut the Vikings’ lead to 17-14. However, a long Vikings run down to the 10-yard line, followed by a touchdown the very next play, once again gave the Vikings a 10-point lead. This proved to be the end for the Scots, who didn’t score the rest of the game.
The Vikings piled on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Scots could not get any offense going, which resulted in a final score of 36-14.
Leo Cappa, a Carlmont junior, thought that the team’s effort trailed off after halftime following a solid first half of play.
“The first half, we always go hard, [so] we’ve just got to go hard and stay focused the whole game,” Cappa said.
Health was a significant factor in Carlmont’s defeat, as injuries and illnesses forced star players to miss the game.
“As a team, with what we worked with, we did pretty well. We had a lot of injuries, a lot of sicknesses throughout the school,” said John Hanna, a junior at Carlmont.
Next up for the 1-3 Scots is a week of rejuvenation and preparation, and the team will go back to the drawing board to get ready for their next game.
“We have our bye week, so we’re going to get some things corrected, get some good lifts in, and get better at our core plays,” Rado said.
