Varsity football lost 7-30 at Branding Iron against Diamond Bar on Friday, Oct. 4 in an away game.
The first quarter started with the Brahmas starting at the 20-yard line. The Mustangs had clean tackles during the beginning of the quarter. However, on one of their defensive plays,a personal foul was committed and a 15-yard penalty was called against Walnut. Diamond Bar’s first down, the quarterback from the Brahmas threw a long pass, which surpassed the first-down line and helped the team advance near the end zone. The Brahmas would soon score first with a field goal in the ninth minute. Although Walnut attempted to score, Diamond Bar returned on offense and scored a touchdown in the last minute. The first quarter ended with a score of 0-10.
“The first quarter [the players] came out. They had a big play [defensively], held [Diamond Bar], did a great job of bending, not breaking,” head coach Eric Peralta said. “ We’re doing well, we’re disciplined, we’re executing, we’re sticking to the game plan, and we kind of made mistakes that started to set us back a little bit.”
In the second quarter, after a few errors from the Mustangs like fumbling the ball and solid defense from the opponents, Diamond Bar regained possession. After Diamond Bar fumbled the ball, Walnut’s defense was quick to recover it. After the Mustangs tried to get past the Brahmas’ defense and with a few turnovers, Diamond Bar was back on offense. Despite Walnut’s defense, the Brahmas were able to push through to the end zone and score a touchdown in the third minute. Walnut’s offense were close to the end zone with less than a minute of the quarter left. As they tried to finish the play, a player from Diamond Bar intercepted the play in the last few seconds and the second quarter ended with a score of 0-17.
“We started off strong and our energy was up early, but I think that lead kind of got to our heads. After Diamond Bar’s second touchdown, our energy dropped a bit and we lost some focus, which really shifted the momentum,” kicker and running back senior Jonathan Rodriguez said.
In the third quarter, Walnut was on offense and was able to pass the first-down line a few times to gain yardage. However, Diamond Bar’s accurate tackling and interception led to a turnover. As a result, the Brahmas’ quarterback handed the ball to his teammate, who ran from the 40-yard line, through Walnut’s defense to the end zone in the eighth minute—bringing the score to 0-24.
The Mustangs’ offense was strong after the touchdown. They continued to advance towards the end zone with precise throws and catches. With a 15-yard line penalty against Diamond Bar, Walnut was able to advance further more. After Walnut’s quarterback handed the ball to running back senior Chris Mardueno, he ran through Diamond Bar’s offense to the end zone in the fifth minute. The third quarter ended with the Mustangs trailing 7-24.
“I think when we score, get big stops, it definitely gives us some momentum,” Mardueno said. “The touchdown boosted the team’s morale by motivating us to go get another touchdown. I felt my performance was below average and there’s a lot I could have done better.”
The last quarter started with the Brahmas’ playing on offense. Close to the end zone, Diamond Bar attempted to score but the Mustangs’ offense was on the look out and intercepted a throw. Walnut was then able to pass the first-down line and with a 15-yard penalty for a personal foul against Diamond Bar, they advanced to the 36-yard line and even more after another foul against the opponents. Although the Mustangs were gaining yards, a throw intended for a Mustang player was intercepted by the Brahmas. Walnut’s defense was trying to catch up but Diamond Bar was able to score another touchdown in the seventh minute. The Mustangs tried to score but the game ended with the score of 7-30.
“I think when we spoke to the team afterwards, [what] we had talked about was [how] we kind of praised the kids for the effort that they gave on the field. I think whoever stepped on that field on Friday night definitely played with a lot of passion, with a lot of effort,” Peralta said.
Ultimately, the game highlighted what the team can implement into future practices and games, ranging from mental mistakes to executing on blocks or routes.
“Something I learned from the game is that you [have] to want it more. You can’t just go out there and expect to win when you’re not prepared or not in the right mindset,” Mardueno said.
