The football team fell in an intense 25-24 match against the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs on Friday night. M-A came into the first half with tons of intensity, but couldn’t power through the second half.
Mitty kicked off the game with the ball, but they were quickly shut down by the Bears’ defense. Sophomore running back Spencer Ama and sophomore defender Justice Toilolo made critical tackles to force the Monarchs to punt, and Ama took over possession with an 11-yard punt return. Senior quarterback Milo Lazare and senior wide receiver Xavier Bedolla led the Bears’ offense with a confident pass to gain momentum. Following an impressive run by senior running back Jamarlo Jackson, senior tight end Griffin Birk had a crucial catch to gain a first down for M-A.
After the timeout with seven minutes left in the quarter, the Bears came out on fire, getting to the Monarchs’ five-yard line. Lazare passed to Bedolla for the first touchdown of the game, followed by a successful extra point from junior kicker Juanpablo Maciel to give M-A a 7-0 lead with four minutes remaining. Mitty was shut down by the Bears’ defense, preventing them from scoring and ending the quarter with M-A ahead, 7-0.
“In the first half, we played great, offensively, defensively, and on special teams,” Athletic Director Steven Kryger said.
The Bears’ defense, led by Toilolo and senior cornerback Diego Madrid, shut down the Monarchs’ powerful start in the second quarter. However, Mitty soon scored a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by M-A, leaving the score at 7-6 with the Bears still in front.
The Monarchs worked hard to keep possession, but M-A’s defense ultimately forced them to punt. Lazare’s handoff to Ama got the Bears down to the one-yard line, and M-A scored a touchdown on the next play, putting the Bears up 14-6. M-A built on this, quickly gathering a Mitty fumble to win back possession at the Monarchs’ 35-yard line. Less than a minute later, the Bears kept their momentum with a great catch from Bedolla to get a touchdown, giving M-A a 21-6 advantage.
The Bears’ defense stayed intense, forcing another punt on fourth down, followed up by a 14-yard return. M-A’s offense worked the ball up the field, and Maciel took another kick for a field goal with less than five seconds left in the half to finish the half, 24-6.
“We started off hot. We scored a lot, got a lot of stuff on defense. We were feeling really good. And then, in the second half, we slowed down. We kind of let up a little bit,” Madrid said.
The Bears came in hard in the second half in order to maintain their lead. Junior wide receiver Oscar Barron caught Mitty’s punt and managed to run it up to M-A’s 16-yard line before the play was flagged. The Bears pushed the Monarchs back with standout defending from senior defensive end George Scott. M-A kept their defense steady with a blocked touchdown by Madrid to halt Mitty’s attack.
However, this defensive streak didn’t last long, as the Bears were penalized five yards for a false start. With four minutes left in the quarter, the Monarchs won a two-point safety due to a poor snap by M-A over the quarterback’s head, bringing the score to 24-8 in favor of the Bears.
With only one minute left in the quarter, Mitty managed to get past M-A’s defense and scored a touchdown, adding a two-point conversion to shrink the Bears’ advantage to 24-16. M-A turned up their energy, with Scott facilitating the defense and putting high pressure on Mitty, leaving the score at 24-16.
“Once we have momentum, it’s our game. As you can see in the first half, we had great momentum, but then in the second half, one play can drop us all down,” Ama said.
The Bears started the fourth quarter with an incomplete pass, and soon after, the Monarchs intercepted an M-A pass at the 37-yard line. The Bears kept up with Mitty, with senior linebacker Kaito Yoshida and Ahonala holding them back to force a fourth down. Still, the Monarchs found their way through M-A’s defense, scoring a touchdown on a 42-yard pass to bring the score to 24-22 with the Bears in front. M-A refocused and managed to block Mitty’s attempt at a two-point conversion, with Yoshida and Ahonala yet again taking the defensive lead.
“I felt like we just let the energy wear off of us. We came out [in] the second half and [it] was dead silent. But these boys know what to do. We’ll pick up from here,” Ama said.
With the ball now in M-A’s possession, Bedolla and Jackson completed a pass to obtain a first down at the 38-yard line, but the Bears were sent back five yards for a false start. Mitty’s defense was powerful, sacking Lazare and keeping them at the 35-yard line. With only one minute left in the game, the Monarchs scored a field goal, bringing them into the lead with a final score of 25-24.
“There’s no blame to put on anybody. I think that all areas can be improved, and that we’re just going to come back, practice harder, and play better next week,” Madrid said.
The Bears will face the California Grizzlies at Woodside High School on Friday at 7 p.m.
