Boys Football is working to find their footing early this fall. After commencing the season with a 21-34 loss to Fresno Christian, Boys Football succeeded against Amino Robinson, only to face a difficult loss to Cornerstone Christian in front of a large home crowd this past weekend.

Cornerstone Christian showed out early, scoring two touchdowns and holding Sage scoreless in the first half. Sage bounced back by scoring early in the third quarter, but they failed to respond after another Cornerstone Christian touchdown, ultimately losing 6-25.

After their week one loss against Fresno Christian, Boys Football recovered by taking a demanding 55-8 victory over their home-opener against Animo Robinson on Friday, Sept 6., displaying a deep understanding of the opposing team, tearing apart their defensive schemes, and putting up a formidable defense. The team didn’t let the 21-34 loss against Fresno Christian get to them. Instead, they went back to work, analyzing their gameplay and making necessary adjustments.

“Our ability as a full team, players and coaches included, to be able to watch film with an open heart and mind, focusing not on nitpicking every little mistake, but on recognizing and addressing the bigger picture issues,” contributed to the team’s sharpness coming into game two, Head Football Coach B.J. Crabtree said. Crabtree highlighted the team’s ability to understand their defense principles and their heightened urgency on offense. The team opened strong, scored the first points of the game, and never looked back. They maintained a comfortable lead the entire game and seemed poised and confident throughout the night.

“I’m proud that we were able to bounce back after Fresno and show out in front of the home crowd,” senior captain Bear Balossi said.

A big change from previous seasons is there are more Football underclassmen than upperclassmen, which translates to more time spent learning bigger roles. One player who stepped up in the game against Animo Robinson was junior Bryce Pruter.

“Bryce Pruter showed up and balled out. He was an absolute demon on defense and I’m so proud of how he played,” senior captain Kian Khazei said. Bryce’s strong tackles caused chaos and destruction for the other team’s offense.

“His motor never stops, and as a junior, the sky is truly the limit,” Crabtree said. Besides playing and being a captain of the football team, Bryce is also goalie for the Boys’ soccer team.

With the loss against Cornerstone Christian still fresh and a long season ahead, the team is aware of their areas needing improvement.

“We will emphasize building trust with each other, to allow each player to offer up their best effort, play in and play out. Trust is massive in football and in life, they are connected,” Crabtree said.