Football (2024-2025)
Panthers Miss Out on NCS Playoff Bid, Season Comes to a Close
November 10, 2024—On a Sunday afternoon with hopes of seeing their names on one of the North Coast Section (NCS) brackets for postseason play, the Varsity Football team unfortunately found out that their opportunity of chasing a NCS banner would not come true, officially bringing the 2024 season to a close.
The Panthers finished with an overall record of 6-4, and a 3rd place finish in the Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) Rock Division with a 3-2 league record. Given the adversity that this team faced with small numbers and unfortunate injuries, the Panthers exceeded expectations and displayed a lot of resiliency and character in doing so on their way to their six wins, with two of them coming in exciting overtime games against De Anza and Pinole Valley.
The Panthers will now look toward their 2025 campaign where they will return many of their young skill players but will lose a senior-heavy offensive and defensive line that they will look to replace with a capable bunch of players ready to fill those voids.
Nonetheless, congratulations Panthers on a good season.
Panthers Go Down to RedHawks on Senior Day Finale, Look Towards NCS Playoffs
November 9, 2024—In the final home regular season game at Brady Park this past Saturday afternoon, the Varsity football team played host to the Vallejo RedHawks where they honored eight of their senior players prior to the start of the game. Seniors Sunni Scott, Anthony Cammack, Pierce Madison, Joseph Bryant II, Jason Rodriguez, Kian de Souza, Mason Young, and Avi Coty-Moran were all recognized for their years of hard work, dedication, and commitment to the football program.
Following the Senior Day festivities, the game would be underway and, unfortunately, it would be quite the offensive day for the RedHawks as they would score 54 points to beat the Panthers by the score of 54-27. The first half of the game proved to be a back-and-forth affair as both teams would record four total turnovers between the two, including a highlight reel interception by Senior Defensive Lineman, Joseph Bryant II, prior to the end of the second quarter, keeping the Panthers within striking distance of the RedHawks being down 33-20 at the half.
However, once the second half began, it would be all RedHawks as they would outscore the Panthers 21-7 in the half to earn the 54-27 victory.
Despite the loss, Junior Quarterback, Sutton Ralls, would throw three touchdown passes –two of them to Senior Tight End, Sunni Scott, and one to Sophomore Wide Receiver, Aluzio Zarnowiecki. Junior Running Back, Wyatt Swanson, would find the end zone on a four-yard touchdown run of his own.
The Panthers will now find out their fate this Sunday, November 10th, as the North Coast Section (NCS) will come out with their seeding and brackets for postseason play.
Panthers Fall to Pride in Rivalry Matchup
November 2, 2024—On a sunny afternoon on the campus of Salesian High School in Richmond, California, the Varsity Football team took on their longtime rival, the Salesian Pride, in what would essentially be the Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) Regular Season Title Game.
However, despite aspirations of coming into Richmond with not only a victory but also the possibility of capturing a TCAL title, the Panthers would fall to the Pride by the score of 42-7. The Pride would be dominant in all three facets of the game—offense, defense, and special teams—which would be critical in this type of matchup.
The lone Panthers’ touchdown would come from the team’s most consistent offensive player in Junior Running Back, Wyatt Swanson, who would score on a one-yard touchdown run that was setup by a long reception by Junior Wide Receiver, Jayson Webb, from the arm of fellow Junior Quarterback, Sutton Ralls.
The Panthers will move on from this one turn their attention to their regular season home finale and Senior Day matchup against the Vallejo High RedHawks. The game is set for Saturday, November 9th, at 1:30pm with the Senior Day festivities happening prior to the game.
Panthers Win 2nd Consecutive Overtime Thriller in Pinole
October 25, 2024—Following arguably one of the more thrilling victories in program history last weekend versus De Anza, the Varsity Football team traveled to Pinole Valley High School on Friday evening to take on the Spartans with aspirations to win their 6th game of the season and to stay atop the Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) Rock Division standings.
The game proved to be a very tight, closely contested matchup between the Panthers and Spartans with various lead changes and big defensive stops on both sides. In the first quarter, the Panthers would be the ones to draw first blood thanks to a rushing touchdown by Junior Running Back, Khalil Chaney, to give them the early 6-0 lead. However, the Spartans would respond with a touchdown drive of their own to give them a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Spartans defense would tighten up their defense to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard in the quarter while their offense would another touchdown to put the Panthers in a 14-6 deficit at halftime.
In the second half, fireworks would start to pop off for both teams as they would trade off points with each other. In their first possession, Junior Quarterback, Sutton Ralls, would hit fellow Junior Wide Receiver, Jayson Webb, on a 60-yard touchdown pass to cut the Spartan lead by the score of 14-12. The Panthers would then add on another touchdown thanks to Wyatt Swanson finding the endzone in the 4th quarter to put the team up 20-14. However, late in the fourth quarter, the Spartans would execute a deep pass from their own side of the 50 that would tie the game at 20-20, and pushing the game into overtime.
In their second consecutive overtime game, the Panthers would start with the ball first and would have no problems scoring thanks to, once again, Wyatt Swanson scoring his second touchdown of the game to the put the Panthers up 27-20. On the Spartans first overtime possession on offense, they would waste no time as they would score on a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the game at 27-26. The Spartans would then decide to go for a 2-point conversion to win the game, but the Panthers’ defense would have none of that and secure the exciting 27-26 victory over the Spartans.
Offensively, and in addition to Swanson’s two-touchdown and 133-yards rushing for the evening, Ralls would throw a career-high 252 passing yards to go along with his one touchdown pass, and Webb would have a career-high of his own as he would record 200-yards receiving to go with his one touchdown reception.
Defensively, Sophomore Defensive End & Outside Linebacker, Rowan Zuber, would have a night he will never forget as he would have two sacks, two tackles for losses, and seven tackles overall to help lead the Panthers to victory. Also, Sophomore Safety, Aluzio Zarnowiecki, would force a fumble that ultimately led to one of Swanson’s touchdowns late in the game.
The Panthers will now prepare for another tough test as they will travel to Richmond to take on their longtime rival, the Salesian Pride, in a matchup that not only consists of bragging rights, but also critical TCAL implications with the winner more than likely winning a league title. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm.
Panthers Earn Homecoming Victory in Overtime
October 19, 2024—On a beautiful afternoon at Brady Park, the Varsity Football team played host to the De Anza Dons in what would not only be the Panthers’ annual Homecoming Game, but also a pivotal Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) matchup for both teams.
The Panthers jumped on the Dons early thanks to all reliable Junior Running Back and Linebacker, Wyatt Swanson, who would score two rushing touchdowns in the first half to give the Panthers the 14-0 lead by halftime. However, the Dons would showcase their resilience as they would score 14 points of their own in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 14 apiece. Both teams would not score once more before the end of the fourth quarter, putting the game in overtime.
The Panthers would win the coin toss and start on offense first in the overtime period. The Panthers would work their way to a 3rd and 4 situation from the Dons 19-yard line, leading up to what would be an outstanding catch by Junior wide receiver, Jayson Webb, on a pass from fellow Junior Quarterback, Sutton Ralls, putting the Panthers on the 1-yard line. Swanson would then cash in for his third touchdown of the game to give the Panthers a 21-14 lead.
Following the touchdown, it would be the Panthers defense turn to keep the Dons out of the endzone, which would be exactly what they would do thanks to Swanson forcing a fumble in which he would also recover, giving the Panthers the 21-14 victory in this critical league game.
The Panthers will now look forward to their next TCAL matchup on Friday, October 25th, when they travel to Pinole to take on the Pinole Valley Spartans. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.
Swanson’s 3 TDs Lead Panthers Over Titans
September 27, 2024—Following last weekend’s defeat at the hands of the Arroyo Dons, a high sense of urgency was critical for the Panthers to get their season back on track. In fact, the Panthers would not disappoint in this regard as they would defeat the Kennedy High Titans of Fremont Friday night by the score of 20-8, improving their overall record to 3-2.
A lot of the Panthers key players performed extremely well, but the night would belong to Junior Running Back, Wyatt Swanson, as he would find the endzone on three different occasions—a 10-yard touchdown run, a 38-yard touchdown run, and a 19-yard touchdown run--to lead the Panthers to victory. As a team, the Panthers would rush for 226 yards on the evening. Junior Quarterback, Sutton Ralls, had a few key completions on the evening that were important in keeping Panthers’ drives alive.
The Panthers will now head into their bye week before they head into Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) play starting on Saturday, October 12th, when they host the El Cerrito High Gauchos. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30pm.
Panthers Fall to Dons 41-13 in Non-League Battle
September 21, 2024—On a Saturday afternoon at Brady Park, the Varsity Football team played host to the Arroyo Dons with hopes of extending their win streak to 3 games and moving to 3-1 on the year. However, it would not be the Panthers’ day as they would lose to the Dons by the score of 41-13.
Early in the game, the Panthers and Dons exchanged touchdowns to put the score at 13-13 halfway through the second quarter. However, two onside kick recoveries by the Dons prior to halftime, and five rushing touchdowns were all they needed to propel themselves to the 41-13 victory. Despite the loss, the Panthers, yet again, got a strong performance from Junior Running Back, Wyatt Swanson, as he would find the endzone on two rushing touchdowns for the Panthers.
The Panthers will now turn the page and look towards their Friday night matchup against the Kennedy High Titans of Fremont. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm at Kennedy.
Panthers Dominate Bruins 42-7 Behind Chaney’s 4 TDs
September 13, 2024—Following their dominant performance a week ago against the Hercules High Titans at Brady Park, the Varsity Football team would have quite the encore as they would earn their second consecutive victory in yet another dominant performance, beating the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins by the score of 42-7 Friday evening in Vallejo.
The Panthers would get quite the individual performance from Junior Running Back, Khalil Chaney, who would record a career-high four rushing touchdowns on the evening, helping the Panthers earn the victory thanks to his incredible performance. Fellow running backs, Wyatt Swanson and Sunni Scott, would also run the ball very well as both would find the endzone for the second straight game respectively.
Defensively, the Panthers were a force to be reckoned with as the team would record a team high 8 sacks on the evening, with three of them coming from Senior Defensive Lineman, Joseph Bryant, and a forcing a fumble on the very first Bruins offensive play of the evening thanks to Sophomore cornerback, Aluzio Zarnowiecki, punching the ball out to basically give the Panthers offense all the momentum that they would need.
The Panthers will continue with non-league play when they play host to the Arroyo High Dons on Saturday, September 21st, at Brady Park. Kickoff is set for 12:00pm.
Panthers Earn First Win of Season; Crush Hercules 49-0
September 7, 2024—Following their season-opening defeat at Moreau Catholic, the Panthers regrouped and earned their first win of their 2024 campaign, defeating the Hercules High Titans in dominating fashion by the score of 49-0 at Brady Park this past Saturday afternoon.
Both sides of the ball for the Panthers played extremely well which featured a strong offensive attack that no issues putting points on the board, and a strong defense that notched their first shutout of the season.
Junior Running Back, Wyatt Swanson, had an impressive day for the second straight game offensively as shown by his 28-yard and 50-yard touchdown runs. Senior Tight End, Sunni Scott, also had a 63-yard run to further showcase the depth in this Panthers’ running game.
Defensive tackle, Joseph Bryant, had a good day on the defensive side of the ball as well as he recorded a sack on the day.
The Panthers will look to add to the win column when they travel to St. Patrick-Vincent of Vallejo on Friday, September 13th. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.