Senior Night: Wilson Vs Marina- August 30, 2024
The Marina Vikings took on the Wilson Bruins on August 30, 2024. It was a special occasion for the Bruins because it was senior night. The seniors got a standing ovation before the game with their family and friends. However, they had a game to play, and it was time to battle on the gridiron.
Wilson was in high spirits after a dominating win in their first game against Portola, 27-0. However, Marina was in similar spirits as they picked up a 23-0 home win against Westminster in their first game of the year. As they say, “Someone’s 0 has got to go.” Right out of the gate, senior running back Gabe Carles for the Vikings made it look easy. He single-handedly led Marina straight down the field and capped off a dominating first drive with a Marina touchdown.
On the other hand, the Bruins couldn’t get any offense going. The story of the first half included botched kickoff returns to fumbles, resulting in good field position for Marina. In addition, Marina did pretty much the same thing in the second quarter to propel their lead to 17-0 at halftime.
There was an apparent change in the air. During the first game, the energy picked up rapidly as the game went on, from the sideline to the audience. In this game, the energy was zapped out of the stadium. Besides our cheerleaders and our Link Crew cheering the Bruins on, as always, the atmosphere was downcast. The intensity wasn’t nearly as apparent from the sideline to the stands.
However, Wilson surely was not going to go away that easily. Two late touchdowns by Thomas Jones and Jaden Frauchiger kept the Bruins competitive. Sophomore Evan Mack said “We have to keep our heads up no matter what the score is and just keep pushing until the end.” However, it was too little too late. The Vikings outlasted the Bruins, 27-13, handing Wilson their first loss of the season.
Unfortunately, the seniors couldn’t get a win on senior night. Senior Nathan Lima said, “We were able to move the ball at times.” When asked about how they will get ready for the upcoming Moore League schedule, Lima said, “We need to do what we do every day and just work hard.” He said the loss was because of play on “both sides of the ball, not just one side of the ball.” That means on the offensive and defensive side of the ball they did not play a good game. Finally, he means that there isn’t one particular player to blame and that the whole team is responsible whenever they win or lose.
There was some optimism that things would get better following this tough loss. Senior Enrique Caro said, “Now we know our weaknesses and what we need to work on. We are hurting right now but as long as we get up at the end of the day that is all that matters.” He also said to not worry about the loss because of the new transfers coming in that are likely to improve the team. Lastly, Sophomore Evan Mack said “We have to keep our heads up no matter what the score is and just keep pushing until the end.” After beating Sunny Hills in their bounceback game 34-7, they will play again on Thursday, September 12 at 7 PM in a road game against California High.
