The Falcons Show Their Falcon Pride at Senior Night and the Homecoming Game

The stage was set at Tropical Park on Friday, October 28th as the Falcons faced the Coral Reef Barracudas under the brightest lights. Not only was this matchup against a talented rival important in terms of postseason implications, but also because for many of our Falcons, it was their last hoorah. 

Senior Night was already bound to be an emotional rollercoaster for many homegrown talent who have been involved in the program as early as their freshmen year, and some even dating before that. That sense of euphoria would only be topped by a triumphant, underdog Falcon win against the Cudas, who are superior on paper. 

Unfortunately, they ended up falling short in a definite 34-14 loss. However, even if victory was not in the cards that night, the boys could not keep their heads down for so long because there was still much to look forward to. 

After the last play, the sheer imagery of all the seniors saying goodbye to one another, along with proud falcon parents walking out with their sons is still heart wrenching and reinforces their love for the game. The game was not their best, but they let it all out on the floor. 

Although our team managed to score two touchdowns, it was difficult to come back for the win. The team was upset and disappointed for many reasons, but the one reason above all was because it was also senior night. 

“From my perspective the game went decent except the team made too many simple mistakes that held us back from beating the other team. I feel that if we had communicated better and adjusted more to what formations they were coming out with. From the start, the vibe of the game was straight tunnel vision, and everyone was hyped for our homecoming game,” shared senior Matthew Hernandez. “I feel both sad and happy about it being Senior Night, because it’s joyful to see how far we’ve come up as a team after 4 years of football, but it’s sad to see it come to an end. Seeing how the game ended I was heartbroken, because it is definitely not the outcome our team had hoped for, but I was thankful for the opportunity to be able to play football for such an amazing falcon football family.” 

It is obvious that the team went through a setback, and all the players are disappointed in how the game turned out, but they all have their own feedback and things they know they need to work on and they’re pretty happy and proud with the team they have. 

“The start of the game gave off an unbelievable feeling of falcon pride seeing all the falcons on the bleachers coming out to support us, and I can speak for all of us seniors when I say this, we loved the appreciation we got walking down with our parents and hugging coach Chew. When we were running out with the flags and the smoke, ripping through the big poster the artists of the school made for us, it didn’t feel like any game, it felt like ‘the’ game,” said senior, Antonio Reyes. “After the game, we were all obviously very disappointed, but sometimes in life you win some and you lose some. No matter the outcome you always get up and move on because if not, life will bring you down. Most of us were in tears because we all know the real meaning behind being there and that is to play football and have fun with our brothers next to us during one of the last times we’ll ever play high school football together,” he continued.

It’s great to see that our school was supporting the team by showing their falcon pride. 

“Everyone’s great when they’re not tired but the champions come out when you’re tired, that’s when the real dog comes out,” said senior, Falak Zaveri. 

It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, the falcon family will always have the teams back and be there when they fall, as well as watch them fly high.