Boys varsity football wins 24-21 on Wednesday, Sep. 12 against Rowland, scoring 24 consecutive points after trailing 0-21 at halftime.
Scoring three touchdowns and a field goal, the Mustangs began to shift momentum into their favor shortly after halftime through multiple defensive and offensive adjustments. In an improbable comeback, Walnut continued into their sixth year straight in beating the Raiders.
“We were playing too fast in the first half. My biggest halftime speech to the [players] was to just slow down and do your assigned jobs. We did a really good job of reestablishing our run game and executing our game a little bit better in the second half. Our players came back in the second half more cohesive and more energetic.” varsity football coach Eric Peralta said. “This is the largest comeback that I’ve ever been a part of since 2012, so this game is one of our biggest comeback wins, and we did a great job.”
A key part of mentally staying in the game to complete multiple offensive runs and setting up base defense was the teamwork and grit that the players possessed. For Peralta, the energy and resiliency that the Mustangs demonstrated made the match most memorable.
“I love it when the kids play together and play as a group and a family. We really saw that in the second half to turn these around. There were many specific plays that I could point to, but my favorite part is how they played the game. [The team] playing together and celebrating together was the epitome of a comeback, and it took all of us.” Peralta said. “I always tell my players that it’s not your circumstances but your choices that are going to determine whether you succeed or fail on the football field and in life.
Wide receiver and tight end senior JC Chen also credits part of their comeback to when the Raiders mocked the Mustang’s defense.
“We didn’t take that. Our team took that personally, and we flipped it around and played much harder throughout the game. We wanted it more than them, so a comeback like this was really rare, and I’ve never been a part of a comeback this big before. The match was super memorable because it showed that Mustang pride doesn’t let anyone mock us,” Chen said.
The novelty of the comeback provides a sense of how anything is possible for linebacker senior Jason Cruz. He also believes that the game will be the most pivotal moment in the season.
“The game made us believe that if we all were to work together as a team, we couldn’t be stopped by any team. If we all did our jobs collectively, we could all have a smooth season,” Cruz said. “We were able to come back from a 0-21 deficit because we came together in the game to push through. A lot of us had a mindset of still being 0-0 so that we were still able to go as hard as we could to win the game.”
