Led by a standout performance from junior quarterback Jake Lobo, the Scotts Valley High varsity football team came through on a damp and chilly November evening with a 27-12 Homecoming win over the visiting Santa Cruz High Cardinals.
The Falcons, in the midst of a rebuilding year, now hold an overall record of 2-6, and are 1-2 in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play.
“It was a great night, our kids played well,” said Head Coach Louie Walters.
In the first quarter, Scotts Valley jumped out to a 13-0 lead on the back of a pair of touchdown passes from Lobo — a six-yard reception by running back Branden Van Valer, and a 30-yard reception by tight end Tanner Spence.
Two Cardinal touchdowns, however, had the Falcons clinging to a 13-12 lead by the end of the first half.
Scotts Valley, though, had no plans to let the situation get out of control as they scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns — running back Troy Menna’s six-yard scoring run in the third quarter, and Lobo’s two-yard scoring run in the fourth.
For the Falcons, a young team whose varsity squad is composed mostly of sophomores and juniors, the victory was a something of a statement, Walters said.
“It’s been a tough season; we’ve had some close games,” he said. “We’re so darn young — I think our younger kids really stepped up.”
In particular, Walters applauded his team’s efforts in the second half, which has been something of a trouble spot in recent games. In the Falcons’ previous two games against the San Lorenzo Valley and Soquel squads, they entered the second half with a lead, only to see it evaporate.
This time, Scotts Valley’s lead held up.
“That’s our third week in a row that we were up at halftime,” Walters said. “They played really well and we finished a game, that’s what’s important.”
He said he was impressed by the way that his young roster — which features eight juniors and one sophomore on defense, and an offense that includes seven juniors and a sophomore — has been developing over the course of the season
“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Walters said. “They’re getting a lot of varsity experience for next year.”
In particular, he noted, was Lobo’s performance in the game — only the junior’s third game since a knee injury at the Jamboree caused him to miss the first five games of the season.
“I think Jake played really well,” Walters said, adding that Lobo’s conditioning while he rehabbed helped him quickly return to form on the field. “He is getting better every single week, we’re excited about him, and he’s only a junior.”
He added that playing at night, under the lights had imbued a sense of excitement among the players — reinforcing Walters’ desire to find a way to have a permanent lighting system installed.
“Playing in a night game, it gets more exciting for my kids and the community,” Walters said. “Before I’m done here, I want to get (permanent) lights.”
Up next for the Falcons, the team will head to Aptos High to take on the first-place Mariners on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
