For those inclined to be superstitious, Scotts Valley’s fumble on their first snap from center in their first game of the season last Saturday against Los Banos was an ill – but accurate – omen of the day to come as the Falcons were beaten 34-7. 

You can feel the weather changing as summer winds down. It’s more than just the passing of the Labor Day holiday and the school year starting. The nights are longer and cooler. The days are not quite so hot and the flowers in the garden seem brighter and more colorful. I look past the soft blue and lavender blossoms and am drawn to the warm shades of gold, rust, orange, hot pink and red. They shout autumn is on the way.

Led by the quarterback duo of senior Isaac Newberry and junior Nick Salibi, and backed by a stout defense, the San Lorenzo Valley High School varsity football team overcame a wobbly first quarter to blow out the visiting Marina High Mariners 44-0 last Saturday in the first game of Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play.

Scotts Valley Falcon football is only a few years removed from an incredible run, when the school won Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL) championships every year between 2006 and 2010.