Cover by Patrick Lam, other images by Bernice van der Meer
On Friday night, the football team beat the Burlingame Panthers 38-7 in blowout fashion. The Bears dominated on both sides of the ball, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back.
Senior defensive end Khayri Jett said, “We just had energy from the start and brought that onto the field. We already knew Burlingame was gonna try to bring out something nice, but that didn’t affect us.”
Before the game, the Bears held a ceremony to celebrate the 33 seniors and their families, as they walked down the field, carried signs, and took photos together. Senior wide receiver Alek Marshall said, “I think it just gave me extra motivation because all my family is here, and I just wanted to give them a show that they would enjoy.”
The Bears defense forced a quick three-and-out and a punt, putting the ball back into the hands of the Bears offense that was rolling after their comeback victory against Mountain View last week. M-A got off to a hot start, with senior running back Jordan Masuisui breaking off a few big runs, as well as Marshall’s first of many impressive catches, this one being a 26-yard gain caught over a Burlingame defender’s head. Masuisui then rumbled into the endzone, putting M-A up 7-0 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.
Quickly, the Bears forced another short Burlingame drive before sophomore quarterback Teddy Dacey made his lone mistake of the game, a missed throw resulting in a Burlingame interception at the M-A 22-yard line. The Panthers converted the early opportunity with a rushing touchdown to even the score as the first quarter winded down.
M-A’s next drive was a good mix of runs and passes, and a big gain from Masuisui set the Bears up inside the Burlingame 20-yard line. Dacey then found Marshall in the corner of the endzone for his second jaw-dropping catch over multiple defenders for a 23-yard score, putting M-A back in front at 14-7.
The Bears defense stood tall once more, getting the ball back in the hands of Dacey. The Dacey-to-Marshall connection became the focal point of M-A’s offense: Marshall hauled in a strong first-down catch over the middle, a screen for a 20-yard gain, and an amazing 30-yard reception in the endzone with Panthers draped all over him, firmly putting the Bears in the driver’s seat with under two minutes in the half.
Marshall said, “We [Dacey] were just doing really well in practice, and we just continued to build upon our connection, then we were able to do it in a game.” Dacey finished the game with 150 total passing yards, 115 of which were brought in by Marshall.
Burlingame’s longest drive of the game came after halftime as a steady rushing attack slowly broke down M-A’s defensive line. However, the Bears were able to rally on a third-and-11 at their own 23-yard line, keeping the Burlingame quarterback short and forcing Burlingame’s fourth punt of the night.
Senior kicker Aiden Mulcahy put an end to the ensuing Bears drive with a 30-yard field goal to extend M-A’s lead to 17, after Masuisui led them into field goal territory.
Senior defensive back James Gray came up with an interception on Burlingame’s next drive, ending the third quarter with a 24-7 lead. Gray said, “We have been practicing that exact defensive play all week, Oskar [Flodh] did a good job communicating to me, we passed the route over, and I was able to jump in front and pick it.”
Masuisui found paydirt one more time in the beginning of the fourth quarter, cashing in on a 7-yard touchdown run after the interception. Masuisui’s touchdown effectively put an end to the game, as Burlingame seemed content to run the ball and milk the clock to its final second. Sophomore running back Eva Ama broke off a final 43-yard touchdown run to end the game at 38-7, a huge win for M-A against the Panthers.
In addition to the Bears’ blowout victory, seniors and their family and friends reflected on their time at M-A. Shawn Mulcahy, Mulcahy’s father, said “Aiden has transformed into an incredible man, and football has made him what he is in the classroom, on the field, and as a teammate. Being a part of a team, that has just transformed him in so many ways, I can’t even explain it.”
M-A will take on Los Gatos next Friday night as they look to improve their CCS chances.
