Falcons fall to undefeated UCHS
The undefeated University City High School (UCHS) football team ran up the score on the Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) varsity 20-61 during the Falcons Homecoming Game on Friday night, Sept. 8.
Big plays by UCHS and missed tackles plagued the Falcons throughout the evening. University City’s skilled players were slippery and put on the moves all night long, providing second effort and finishing each run, many ending in scores.
The UCHS defense had something to do with the Centurion victory as well. The tone was set early in the first quarter when a UCHS linebacker put a crushing hit on a SRHS runner for a loss. Scripps Ranch had trouble sustaining drives all night against the UCHS defense.
But the Falcons had a few bright spots. The two teams each scored TDs in the first quarter, but UCHS began to take over. Fortunately, running back Joseph Kabandauli took a kickoff, briefly bounced off his own player and turned upfield for an exciting touchdown jaunt to put the Falcons back into the fight, and fired up the crowd.
Unfortunately, the Centurions answered with more scoring throughout the first half and Scripps Ranch could not answer either offensively or on the defensive side of the ball.
UCHS seemed to slice right through the middle of the SRHS defensive line at will. UCHS also employed a nifty middle screen that went for a touchdown in one instance, and gained several yards on another, all in the first half.
Apparently, the UCHS coach decided to leave the field at halftime with an even 50 points following his team’s final TD of the second quarter, and ordered his offense to go for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point kick. But the Falcons defense foiled their try and the teams went into halftime with the Centurions in command of the game.
Both teams were met by a brief downpour as they returned to the sidelines to prepare for the second half. The slick field didn’t help the Falcons’ chances for a comeback, but make no mistake, the team has spirit and kept playing hard.
Earlier on Friday, the Falcons JV Football team lost to the University City JVs 7-12.
The SRHS varsity team, now 0-3, has another opportunity for a victory next week as they travel down the road to take on archrival Mira Mesa High School at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 at Mira Mesa. The Falcons JV team will play the Mira Mesa JVs in Mira Mesa at 3:30 p.m. that same day.
