The football team started the year off strong with a decisive victory against Burton High School yesterday, September 7.  With an astounding end score of 61-0 in favor of the Eagles, the Eagles have broken the 0-10 losing streak from last year.

Despite its reputation as a tough team, Burton did not have the same intensity and focus as the Eagles players did.

Within the first minute of the game, the Eagles had already scored two touchdowns, setting the pace for the rest of the game.

“In the first quarter, we were explosive,” senior Kian Ayat said. “We took the ball back from the other team right as the game began when we kicked off. They fumbled and we recovered. We all get really fired up because we instantly turned that fumble recovery into a touchdown. We really took control first quarter.”

Finishing the first quarter strong with a 41-0 score, the Eagles sent in second and third string players afterwards. The team still managed to score 20 points and keep a solid defense, an indication of the team’s strength.

The second quarter yielded only seven points, but the Eagle defense held strong losing no points.

During the third quarter, both teams held their defenses strong, and neither team scored.

After ending the first three quarters strongly with a 48-0 score, the Eagles finished the final quarter with another 13 points, ending the game with a lopsided 61-0 score.

The Eagles had some top scorers, like sophomore Patrick Vargas, who scored the first touchdown in the game. Patrick and junior Sean Lanoza scored two touchdowns apiece. Junior Matt Schonher, the wide receiver for the team, kicked in another seven points.

Some members on the team identified penalties as a shortcoming. Because the communication between the wide receiver and the referee was poor, the Eagles lost 20 yards in penalties.

“We did have a few penalties but we shook it off and continued on with our game,” Kian said.

Although the Los Altos team suffered no injuries this game, Burton’s quarterback was injured by senior Carlos Rivera. The injury of the Burton High quarterback forced the Burton team to only perform run plays for the second half of the game.

“Everyone was already excited for the beginning of the season because we knew we had changed Eagle Football thanks to our new coaching staff and players,” Kian said. “We are looking forward on competing for the El Camino Division title and we strongly believe we are contenders. Our team is looking forward to a great season.”

Next week, the Eagles will be playing against Overfelt. Overfelt will be playing a confident Los Altos after a 13-42 loss to Monta Vista.

[Photos by Ian Mackey and Brandon Hong]