Falcons’ season hinges on do-or-die weekend

It was quite a weekend for the Scotts Valley Falcons football team.
First, the squad was stunned in a 20-16 loss on Nov. 6 at the hands of Aptos, which was previously 1-3 in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, leaving Scotts Valley (2-1-2 SCCAL, 4-3-2 overall) winless in its three most recent games.
Fresh off the Friday loss to Aptos, the Falcons seemed to be on track for no better than a three-way tie for second with Soquel and San Lorenzo Valley High, with the St. Francis Sharks poised to cruise to the top spot in the league.
But on Saturday, Nov. 7, the bottom-of-the-league Santa Cruz Cardinals gave the Falcons new life, dealing St. Francis its second loss of the season, 17-14.
Scotts Valley now has hope for a three-way tie for the SCCAL crown if it can beat Soquel at home at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14.
If that’s not enough riding on one game, there’s this, too: With a win, coach Louie Walters said, his squad would make the Central Coast Section playoffs. A loss to Soquel, however, would end a once-promising season with a 4-4-2 record.
“It’s win or go home,” Walters said. “It all comes down to this week.”
To succeed, the Falcons need to regroup after a flat outing against the Aptos Mariners. The team held Scotts Valley to only eight first downs and 138 total yards while forcing a season-high five turnovers. Virtually the only highlight for the Falcons was a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ryan Estrada.
“It doesn’t matter who you play — you can’t expect to win any game with five turnovers,” Walters said.
In addition to holding onto the ball, the Falcons aim to contain the run against Soquel’s punishing double-wing offensive attack. The Knights have the league’s second leading rusher in Niko Alarcon, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound halfback who has racked up 912 yards on 138 carries with 14 touchdowns.
His backfield mate has statistics almost as impressive. Tyler Evey has rushed 612 yards on 121 carries and logged nine touchdowns. Between them, the pair averages nearly six yards per carry every time one of them runs the football.
As San Lorenzo Valley has already closed out its season, the Scotts Valley-Soquel game will determine the SCCAL championship: A three-way crown with a Falcon win, or a standalone championship for the Knights if Soquel wins or ties.
“Once again, our destiny is in our hands,” Walters said. “We’re ready.”